Isshi no Ichimu
by Lady Kaiba
Summary: [Discontinued] Kagome discovers something about herself…she’s pregnant! But, HOW did it happen? She’s never mated with anyone!…right? Tie that in with the fact that she’s changing... What’s going on with her? SessKag
1. Chapter 1

Isshi no Ichimu  

By: Lady Kaiba

Summary: Kagome discovers something about herself…she's pregnant! But, HOW did it happen? She's never mated with anyone! …right? Tie that in with the fact that she's changing, physically and internally. What's going on with her?! Why has her life suddenly become so screwed up!?!? Sess/Kag R+R!!

LK: Eh, no YGO update, but instead a new story! I -have- to get Inuyasha fics out of my system before I can continue any of my other YGO fics, so I apologize to those of you who read them. Anyway, this popped into my head this last Saturday, so I hope you all enjoy it! 

Lara: Please R+R! And there's also a nice little treat in here! Ja~!!

Key:

~~*~~ - New scene

~~~*~~~ - Flashback / end flashback

_'Italics' _– thinking

-Eh-  - emphasized words

"Duh" – talk

LK: If you want Japanese translations for words you don't know, just ask. But I don't think I used any unknown ones…R+R!!! And enjoy! ^-^

 ~~*~~ 

Kagome sucked in deep, calming breaths as she walked along the path behind her companions. _'Oh man, I don't think I can stop it…'_ she thought. Suddenly she covered her mouth and ran into the woods that lay next to the path they walked along. _'I'm definitely gunna throw up!' _ She hadn't ran any farther than five steps into the woods before it happened.

The group looked back, worried, when they heard something run into the woods, then the highly unpleasant sounds of someone vomiting. "Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled and disappeared into the trees, to her friend's aid. 

Miroku looked to the girls' location, empathy clear on his face. "Poor Kagome-sama. She's been like this for a day now." He looked down to see the worried look on the young Kitsune's face, then turned to the head of their little Shikon no Kakeru hunting group. "Inuyasha, we should hurry back to the village. I fear for Kagome-sama's health." He looked back to the woods, where the sounds had yet to cease. "It seems she has caught a nasty cold." He added quietly. 

Inuyasha stared into the trees, watching Kagome with worry in his eyes. He might not have let the others show it- save when they were in grave danger- but the hanyou cared deeply for the young miko; and, surprisingly, not as anything more than a younger sister. He had thought he had been attracted to Kagome, but later discovered that he had felt that way merely because she so greatly resembled the undead miko, Kikyou, which whom he had once loved, fifty years earlier. "Alright. When they get back, ride Kirara and we'll be able to get to the village by tomorrow morning." He replied.

Miroku nodded and relief made its way into his eyes when the girls came back, Kagome looking slightly better than she had been previously. "Ladies, we will be taking Kirara the rest of the way." He informed them. The young exterminator and miko nodded. Once the fire cat transformed, they climbed on and took to the air, flying quickly toward the village as Inuyasha jumped along, using his inhuman speed, below them. 

~~*~~

Kagome slept, hugging Shippou to her, as they flew through the chill air. She began shivering, but it stopped as someone placed something over her, and tucked it in well. Kagome cracked her eyes open to see Inuyasha sitting beside her, making sure his haori didn't fly off. "When…?"

"I decided it would take less time if I rode also, so Kirara landed for a minute." He replied. 

"Arigatou…" Kagome whispered as she closed her eyes and fell back into the dark abyss of sleep.

"You're welcome…Kagome…" Inuyasha replied, barely above a whisper.

  
~~*~~

Kirara landed outside of Kaede's hut just after dawn. Kaede walked out to greet them, surprised at their early arrival. "Ye are back early, Inuyasha." She said as Sango and Miroku slid off of the fire cat youkai. Inuyasha woke Kagome and Shippou. "What happened?!" Kaede asked, worried. 

"Kagome…hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." Inuyasha answered as he helped the groggy girl down and stand without falling. 

"Yes, and we were worried for Kagome-sama's health. So we decided it was best to arrive as quickly as possible." Miroku added. 

Kaede nodded and as she looked Kagome over, listening to their answers. "Come, child. I will be able to help you once I have examined you." Kaede took Kagome into her arms. "The rest of you please wait out here. Inuyasha,"  

"Hai?" 

"Would ye be so kind as to fetch this old woman some water from the stream and some of my special herb for tea? I was meaning to do that today."

Inuyasha nodded and headed to the stream with a container. Kaede turned and led Kagome into the hut. Miroku watched them retreat into the hut. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "I don't know about you two, but I hate being idle when I'm waiting." Sango nodded, agreeing with him.

"Hai, I go mad when I wait for news on something important such as this. Come on, Shippou, let's go find something we can do." Sango said. Shippou nodded and jumped onto Sango's shoulder. The three of them headed off to find something in the village that needed to be done.

~~*~~

It hadn't taken long for Kaede to examine Kagome before the two women sat quietly; Kagome waiting for Kaede to tell her what she came up with, and Kaede thinking of the best thing to tell the young miko.

"…Well? Do you know what's wrong, Kaede-baba?" 

Kaede sighed. "Hai, child. I have seen this before in other young women." 

"Then what is it?" Kagome was becoming unnerved by the miko's silence.

"Ye are with child, Kagome." Kaede finally said. Kagome sat there quietly, digesting the information. "I do not think Inuyasha is quite yet ready, nor mature enough, to be a father, but-"

"No." Kagome interrupted. "Inuyasha isn't the father. He couldn't be. I don't feel that way for him. I love him, but more as a brother." 

Kaede watched the young miko, nodding in understanding. "If it is not Inuyasha, then who is?" she inquired. 

"Um…" Kagome felt her cheeks flush. "Kaede…if you don't mind, could you tell the others that I just have the stomach flu, or something? I'm not ready for them to know." Kagome said instead, choosing to ignore the question for now. 

"Of course."  
  


Kagome nodded. "I'll be at the hot springs, I need to think. Please keep them away, also. I need to be alone to think about this." She asked. Again, Kaede nodded. Kagome thanked her teacher and walked out of the hut, taking her pack with her.

~~*~~

Kagome looked down at her reflection in the clean, clear water as she relaxed in the spring's warmth. She closed her eyes, going back to that night, two weeks earlier. 

~~~*~~~

Kagome walked through the western land woods, moon shining dimly through the many trees. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to be alone, far away from her friends. She had to sort out the confusing feelings in her heart. She soon came to a wide clearing. She gasped at its beauty. Here, the moon's light shone brightly, casting a silvery glow over her blue colored surroundings. A gentle breeze ruffled the grass, three branches, and her long, dark, raven colored hair. 

She listened to the sound of a gentle waterfall, which sat at the other end of the clearing, where it appeared there was a hill on which a stream flowed down. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Flowers swayed in a calm, luring dance on the breeze, to the soft music of the waterfall. Little lights floated around the base of it, revealing to Kagome that the waterfall flowed down to a hot spring. She realized, as one floated past her and more appeared in the entire vicinity, that they were not lights, but fireflies. A single firefly floated to her and she held out her hand to it. It sat on her palm and glowed contentedly. 

The young miko giggled quietly at the little creature. She walked a ways into the little oasis, and sat among the white moonflowers. The little firefly floated off of her hand and, after she laid back in the flowers and grass, landed on the tip of her noise. 

Kagome giggled again. "You're a cute little thing." She spoke to it. It glowed a faint pink for a moment, as if blushing at her comment.  It floated off of her nose, above her face, so that she was no longer looking cross-eyed to see it. "Why, that's very considerate of you, Mr. Firefly. Why is it you like me so much?" she wondered. The little firefly's glow took on a blue tint, then pink and purple. Kagome giggled again. "So kawaii…How about I name you…Hotaru?" The firefly blacked out for a moment, as if saying 'Naw, that's a girl's name!' 

"Hm…okay…" Kagome thought for a moment before coming up with another name. "Tsunagi. Do you like that?" The little firefly brightened up, as if saying 'Right on the dot!' and the young miko smiled. "Tsunagi it is! So, Tsunagi, I wonder why I came here. Do you suppose something called me here? Did you call me here?" she asked. Tsunagi once again became her live strobe light, glowing soft colors to calm the young miko even more than she already was in her serene surroundings. 

As Kagome stared up into the clear, star filled sky, she felt another's presence. She completely dismissed it, however, finding it unthreatening. She mumbled quietly to herself as she spotted all the different constellations in the start. "Orion. Heh, but then again, you're the easiest to find, now, aren't you? There's the Big Dipper…and the Little Dipper…" Her eyes shifted from the stars to the one looming above her. The first thing to have caught her eye was the long, silvery hair, then golden eyes, red stripes and blue crescent. 

"Sesshoumaru…" she said quietly. 

Sesshoumaru stared down at the miko, perplexed by her lack of fear of him. "Why are you not afraid of me when you have always been frightened by my presence?" he asked, stoic mask never leaving. 

"Every other time we meet, there was a battle. You were always fighting with Inuyasha, so of course I was frightened…for the safety of…" Sesshoumaru thought she would say Inuyasha, but the words that came from her lips surprised him. "…Both of you…" she said softly. "Besides, I do not sense any threat from you. You don't want to hurt me…not now…not here, in this peaceful place."

Golden eyes looked deep into silvery-blue, contemplating her words. "Yes. You are correct." He replied. "How did you find this place? Why are you in these woods, alone?" he asked. 

Kagome sat up, holding her hand out to Tsunagi again, and watched her little friend as she replied. "I just happened across it. I was walking because I needed time to think, and I found myself here." 

_'She needed time alone to think?'_ he voiced his next thought to her. "Think about what?" he watched her carefully and was slightly amused by the blush that formed across her nose. 

"My feelings." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper. 

A small smile tugged at his lips. "For…?" he continued, amusement shining in his eyes. Her blush deepened, but she didn't reply. Sesshoumaru knelt in front of her and tilted her head up to meet his gaze with two gentle fingers under her chin. He surprised her as he leaned forward, gently capturing her lips with his own. Tsunagi floated off of her hand and away to sit on a flower, keeping a protective eye on the mistress he had grown so fond of in such a short amount of time. But at the same time, he glowed gentle, romantic colors, approving of the two, knowing that they were destined to be. 

Kagome slowly closed her eyes, replying to the kiss as she brought up her courage. She gasped as she felt his tongue gently brush over her lips in a gentle plea to be allowed entrance. Sesshoumaru took the gasp as an invitation and plunged his tongue into her mouth, exploring it before seeking her own. Kagome fisted her hands in his haori and pushed him back, panting for breath as she looked into his eyes, flushed.  Sesshoumaru found himself, as well, out of breath.

"W-why…?" She asked in a breathy voice.

A smile made it's way onto the Lord of the West's lips. "Why did I kiss you?" he said the question she had tried to ask. The miko nodded. "Because," he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, and brushed back a few strands of hair, "I wanted to." He said quietly. 

"W-what? Why?" 

He slowly tangled his hand into her dark locks. "Because, I have found that you have captured my heart." He replied as he leaned forward again and kissed her again, putting more passion into it that the last, though equally gentle. 

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. _'H-he's in love with me?' _she asked in her mind. Her heart quickened as she realized the obvious, what she had come to think about, and slowly closed her eyes as she replied to the kiss with just as much passion. Sesshoumaru broke the kiss again, Kagome gasping for the sweet, clean air of Sengoku Jidai. "And I…" Kagome looked into his eyes. "…I have found that you have captured my heart, also." The taiyoukai smiled gently again and pulled her back into another kiss, all the while lowering her down to the ground. Kneeling above her, his hand began to travel down her side, then to the buttons on her shirt. 

Kagome moaned and pulled out of the kiss as he massaged her left breast through her material. "Sess…Sesshoumaru, I-I think you should know that I-"

"Have never been with a man before. I know. It is not hard for youkai to tell if a female is a virgin or not." He replied. 

"Be gentle." Was Kagome's only request as she allowed him to trail kisses from her lips to her neck. 

"Of course." He replied as he paid special attention to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He heard Kagome's sharp intake of breath and her gasp as he bit down, claiming the young miko as his, and only his. She was now his mate; no other man would touch her. He licked the blood, soothing the wound. "Forgive me, but it had to be done." He apologized to her. 

"I understand." She spoke quietly. A gasp was pulled from her lips as he continued kissing his way down her collarbone, to the material shielding her from his sight. He looked up at her. 

"What is this contraption?"

"It's a bra…" she blushed. "Women wear it where I'm from. It's obvious what it does…" she added quietly.

"It serves as an annoyance. It keeps you hidden from me." He replied, and with that, the annoyance was destroyed. 

Kagome gasped in surprise. _'Well, at least I was smart enough not to wear my favorite one…'_ She thought. "Oh…" all thoughts were stopped, however, when she felt him move on to her breasts, licking and suckling one, while massaging the other.  

~~~*~~~ WARNING: Lemon ahead…

Kagome's eyes opened and she looked at her reflection again, looking to the place where her mark sat. "I thought it was a dream…" she whispered to herself. 

"It was no dream." Came the calm, masculine voice of none other than Sesshoumaru. Kagome looked up to see him standing at the edge of the water. 

"Sesshoumaru…" 

He was half expecting her to attempt to hide herself from his view, but was pleased when she didn't. He didn't want his beautiful mate to hide her beauty from his eyes. 

"If it wasn't a dream, then how did I end up clothed and back in my sleeping bad in the camp when I woke?" she asked him. 

"After you fell asleep, I bathed us and redressed you, then returned you to your camp. I did not want the hanyou to come looking for you." He replied as he began to remove his clothing.

"Why not?"

Never taking his eyes from her, Sesshoumaru walked into the water and over to her, once he was completely undressed, and replied, "I did not want him to find my little oasis. I was surprised that night to find that you had somehow found your way into it." 

"Your oasis?" He was now barely a foot away from her, and Kagome had to look up into his eyes. 

"Yes. I found it many years ago. I have gone so far as to place a barrier around it so that unwanted company would not find it." He replied.

Kagome's eyes left his and traced down his body to his new left arm. _'That's right. That night I gave him back his arm…'_ She timidly reached out and touched his arm, slowly sliding her hand up it to his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him as he drew her near, pulling her into a passionate kiss. 

"It has been too long since I have been with my mate." He murmured against her lips. 

"Your mate is willing and waiting." Was her quiet reply. It delighted Sesshoumaru to hear those words from his mate. 

He pulled her over to a rock that protruded from the water and pressed her back flush to it as he took her lips into a deep, passionate, longing kiss. The kiss pulled a moan from her throat and he broke the kiss, leaving her lips to trail kisses down her neck to nuzzle his mark. Her legs wrapped around him and she thrust her hips up into his, impatient. Sesshoumaru groaned at the action and inserted two of his long digits into her entrance and latched onto her right breast at the same time, drawing a moan from her throat. 

"Sesshou." She moaned. That was enough for him. He removed his fingers and replaced them, thrusting deeply into her warmth and forcing a groan from both of them. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her hips, thrusting against him, egging him on, luring him into a torturously slow pace. As they danced the mating dance, moving together, Kagome's moans encouraged Sesshoumaru to move faster, each thrust driving deep into her. 

Kagome couldn't handle the pace; it was still too slow for her! So she encouraged him by moving her hips faster and moaning for him to quicken it. The taiyoukai obliged, fastening his pace until he was using his inhuman speed, and the miko was no longer able to keep up with him. Her grip around him tightened and she buried her face into the crook of his neck as she dug her human nails into him. She cried out her release, his name muffled on her lips by his neck. "Sesshoumaru!!" 

Her muscles clenched around him, driving him over the edge as well. With one final, deep thrust, he buried himself in her as his seed spilled into her already occupied womb. Kagome clenched onto him desperately as she caught her breath, her heart beating quickly, and the blood rushing in her ears. She felt the oddly pleasurable sensation of being filled with his seed and giggled, breathily, to herself. 

Sesshoumaru trailed tired kisses over the mark on her neck before pulling back to look at her. "What's so funny?" 

She smiled at him. "One would think you were trying to get me pregnant." She replied quietly.

Sesshoumaru smiled and traced a hand from her cheek down to where her womb sat within her. "I have no need to try." He countered with a small smirk. Kagome blushed and nodded, resting her chin on his shoulder again. 

"That you don't." she whispered. The remained there, calming down, for a few minutes before Kagome pushed on his shoulders and Sesshoumaru withdrew from him. "Sesshou…" she looked up at him as she sank herself down into the water. Sesshoumaru fallowed her, sinking into the water until only the top of his shoulders and up remained above water. "I don't want anyone to know that I'm pregnant yet, so I asked Kaede not to tell them." Sesshoumaru nodded, understanding. "And…" she took a breath, "No one knows that you're my mate yet, or even that I have a mate. I'd like to keep it that way, at least until I'm ready to tell them."

Sesshoumaru nodded again, and pulled her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head. "I understand Kagome." He said. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck again. "However," she looked up at him, worried. "I would like to be with you when you do tell them." Kagome smiled and nodded.

"It would make sense. Oh, I will tell one person about the baby, but not the father." 

"The kitsune?" The taiyoukai inquired. 

"Hai."

"Of course, he is a curious pup, he's bound to become suspicious." Kagome nodded her agreement. After a moment of silence, he asked the question that was on his mind. "When do you leave next?"

"Tomorrow." Kagome replied, quietly, obviously sleepy.

Sesshoumaru gently shook her to make sure she remained awake. "When you return to the village, tell Inuyasha that you wish to leave tomorrow, after noon, so that you may rest a while more before you leave. I will be bringing Rin and meet your group. I'll find some excuse to join you for a while." Kagome nodded.

"Alright…I should go, before Inuyasha comes to look for me. I've already been gone an hour." Sesshoumaru released Kagome and the two of them swam over to their clothing, on opposite sides of the spring. Kagome picked up a towel and began to dry off before pulling on her underwear and bra, then rummaging through her bag for clothes. She was startled when she felt her towel lay on her head and two hands begin to dry her hair. She looked back to see Sesshoumaru, fully dressed, toweling her hair for her. She smiled and then turned back to her pack. She pulled out a pair of blue jean shorts and a light blue tank top. 

Standing, without any complaints from her mate, she pulled on her shorts. As she was buttoning and zipping them, Sesshoumaru threw the towel onto her pack and picked up her brush, which just happened to be lying on the ground next to her pack. He began to brush through her hair when Kagome prepared to put her shirt on. He stopped his activity for a moment, allowing her to hide her skin from his sight again, before he continued combing it. "Sesshou, I can do that myself, now." Kagome said softly. 

"No." 

Kagome mock pouted. With a mocking "humph!" she picked up her lotion bottle. "Fine, then I'll just put my lotion on." The taiyoukai lifted an elegant eyebrow. 

"Lotion?"

"Yeah. It helps to moisturize skin, so that it's not hard and brittle. I just hate scratchy elbows…" she muttered the last bit. "Don't worry, it doesn't smell bad. See?" She popped the cap open and a gentle waft of cherry blossoms drifted past his nose. 

"So that's where that smell comes from." Kagome nodded. She applied a small amount to both of her arms just as Sesshoumaru finished combing through her ebony locks. She did the same to her legs before stowing the bottle back into her bag, along with her brush. She picked up her towel and turned towards Sesshoumaru to be surprised by a soft kiss. "I will see you again soon, my mate." He said, brushing his hand over her cheek again, cupping it for a few moments. Kagome closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. 

"Soon, then." She said with a smile. With one last kiss, he disappeared into the late morning sky. Smiling, Kagome turned, hoisted her pack onto her back, and walked back to the village.

~~*~~

"Kagome!!" Shippou yelled as he launched himself at his adoptive mother when she returned to the village. "You're back! Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Kagome giggled at all of his questions and wasn't surprised when the others came to her also. "I'm fine, don't worry. I'm feeling better. That bath helped out a lot, that's why I was taking so long." Kagome replied. The look in Kagome's eyes went unnoticed by her companions; however, it did not escape the old miko. Kaede decided not to inquire on it just yet. She had a feeling it had something to do with the child's father.  

Kagome had placed her pack down and hung up her towel when Inuyasha came up behind her. "Are you okay?" he asked. Kagome turned and smiled at him.

"Hai." She saw the relief in his eyes. "Ano…Inuyasha, I was wondering…can we leave tomorrow after lunch? I'd like some more time to rest before we begin shard hunting again, just to make sure." 

Inuyasha nodded. "Feh, fine, wouldn't want you to be unable to sense shards." He replied with a smile. Kagome lightly hit his arm.

"Glad to see you're till the same." She teased. She was heading back toward the hut when something floated past her. Her eyes widened and she gasped. 

"What? What is it?!" Inuyasha asked, worried. Kagome burst into a smile and held her hand out. The small, blue tinted glowing light landed on her palm. 

"Tsunagi!" 

Inuyasha face vaulted. "What?!" He blinked and looked into Kagome's hand. "It's just a little glowing thingy…" he mumbled. 

Kagome tsked. "Inuyasha, he's a Firefly! And he's my friend." Kagome said as they walked to the hut. 

"You're friend?" Inuyasha asked as they entered. 

"Yeah." 

"What's you're friend, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, curious. 

Inuyasha snorted. "A firefly." 

Sango's eyes widened. "Really? I've never seen one!!" Kagome sat down against a wall as Sango and Shippou sat by her. 

"I wanna see!" Shippou pouted. Kagome rested her hand in her lap and Tsunagi did his little strobe light glow again, showing off for his mistress's friends. "Wow! It's changing colors!!" the kitsune pup exclaimed, excitedly. 

"That's amazing, Kagome-sama. Normally no one can catch one, and if they do, they usually loose it." Miroku said as he watched the little bug from his seat near Kaede, whom was cooking lunch. "How do you manage to keep it there?"

"I don't. I didn't catch him. Tsunagi came to me on his own."

"Tsunagi?" Miroku asked. Kagome nodded.   
  


"I would have called him Hotaru, but he thought it was too girly."

"How do -you- know?" came Inuyasha's rude voice. Yup, back to normal. 

"I think it's pretty obvious if he stops glowing altogether, Inuyasha!" 

"Hm, yes." Miroku thought for a moment. "This must be no ordinary firefly, if it-uh…_he_ replies to your words. You are lucky to have made this friend." 

"When did you find him, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked. 

"Hm…two weeks ago. I went for a little walk one night when you guys were asleep and I stumbled upon him." She replied. 

"Food is ready." Kaede said. Tsunagi floated into the air and with a gentle touch to Kagome's cheek, he floated out of the hut and back to the forest. 

"He must really like you, Kagome-sama. I believe that was a little kiss." Miroku said, smiling. 

Kagome smiled. "I guess so." The group moved over to the fire and thanked Kaede for making lunch for them.

~~*~~

LK: Hm…I think I'll stop there for today! ^_^ Please R+R and I hope you enjoyed!!

Lara: Of –course- they enjoyed it! You put a lemon in the first chapter for cryin' out loud!!!

LK: ::grin:: I know. But hey, what better way to explain the unknown details, ne? ::smile:: Here it is, Brit-chan, now you didn't have to wait long, did you? The next chapter won't be out any time soon, mind you. I still have to write it! Although I do have it planned. Ja matta ne, mina~!! ^-^ 

~*~

Words: 4, 732

Pages: 9

Written: June 23, 2003

Finished: 6: 48 PM

~*~


	2. Chapter 2

Isshi no Ichimu

 By: Lady Kaiba

  DISCLAIMER: (that which was forgotten in the last chapter…) I dun own it, okay?!? Now leave me alone! I only like writing and playing with the characters. Rumiko Takahashi owns them, not I…

 LK: I wanted to thank everyone that reviewed this story. I'm happy you like it because this is my first –posted- Inuyasha fic! I have others that are being worked on, including the next one to come out, Kaori no Yamazakura. And just to let all of you know, I am really fond of the Sess/Kag pairing right now…so now you won't have to wonder what pairings are in my fics anymore! ^_^ I'd really like to thank Profiler120 for being so perceptive while reading the first chapter. A lot of questions were asked, and so I thought that I would answer some of them now. 

 ~The first chapter was written the way it was on purpose, in case you were wondering. I meant to begin it two weeks after her mating with Sesshoumaru. As for the morning sickness bit, I didn't really know when it started, but three months later doesn't fit into the story. Those of you who were paying attention and got my meaning of 'change' will understand later if you don't already. I've made Kagome and Inuyasha think of each other more as siblings because I really love Inuyasha and am against being mean to him unless I read a story where he really pisses me off. So, I hope that is understood. 

 ~ Now, the firefly bit. ^o^ I was having some fun. It just happened that way while I was writing it. That's all I'll really say about that…I plan on later explaining why/how Sess and Kag fell for each other, so just be patient! I will begin to explain it in this chapter. If anyone else has questions too, don't be afraid to ask them. You'll only make me angry if it's a flame, and I'm told point blank that it is. Otherwise, I look at it and see what you're saying. ^_^ Thank you for asking these important things, profiler120. Now, then, on with the story! …And apparently some questions need answering for Mistress Fluffy. 1) Just because. She's in love with him. She…just didn't want him to stop once he started, pick an answer! 2) Inu couldn't smell Sesshy on her because of her scented lotion. And 3) Lets face it, our little Inu-chan hasn't ever been really great at catching details like that. I mean, yeah, he can tell from pretty far away when Kag has come back, but he wouldn't be able to tell –that- unless he were looking for the smell. ^_^ There ya go…those of you who are confused, go read Mistress Fluffy's review…^^;; gomen…

 Lara: I know most of you are wondering, "What the hell does Isshi no Ichimu mean?!" Well, I thought I'd let ya know, since my lovely hikari decided not to. Isshi no Ichimu means Child of a Dream. LK chose that, because what she originally came up with wasn't too good…

 LK: Gee, thanks…

 Lara: ::grin:: Welcome! Please R+R! Ja ne~!!

 Key:

 ~~*~~ - New scene

 ~~~*~~~ - Flashback / end flashback

_ 'Italics' _– thinking

 -Eh-  - emphasized words

 "Duh" – talk

 LK: I think I'll leave that up until the fourth chapter…R+R!!! And enjoy! ^-^ hm…and if this is too far apart, well, that's just FF.N's screwy format. And I hate it…

 ~~*Last time*~~ 

"How do -you- know?" came Inuyasha's rude voice. Yup, back to normal. 

"I think it's pretty obvious if he stops glowing altogether, Inuyasha!" 

"Hm, yes." Miroku thought for a moment. "This must be no ordinary firefly, if it-uh…_he_ replies to your words. You are lucky to have made this friend." 

"When did you find him, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked. 

"Hm…two weeks ago. I went for a little walk one night when you guys were asleep and I stumbled upon him." She replied. 

"Food is ready." Kaede said. Tsunagi floated into the air and with a gentle touch to Kagome's cheek, he floated out of the hut and back to the forest. 

"He must really like you, Kagome-sama. I believe that was a little kiss." Miroku said, smiling. 

Kagome smiled. "I guess so." The group moved over to the fire and thanked Kaede for making lunch for them.

~~*On to the Chapter*~~

     Kagome walked out of Kaede's hut, pack slung over her shoulder, and Shippou in her arms. The sun sat high in the sky, directly above their heads. It was noon and the group had eaten, so now they were headed out of the village, toward another shard rumor they were just lucky enough to have heard about that morning. Inuyasha, of course, had wanted to leave then, but didn't persist on that topic because Kagome was still sleeping, and he had told her it was okay for them to wait.

      So now here they were, walking out of the village and into Inuyasha's forest. The young miko walked quietly, Shippou sitting on her shoulder, as she became lost in thought. _'Where will Sesshoumaru meet us? Will Inuyasha try to fight him again?? ……And I thought women didn't get sick until their second trimester, or something. It's only been two weeks!' _Shippou watched as his 'mother' walked, a far away look in her eyes.

      _'I hope Kagome-okaasan is okay…'_ he thought. _'Maybe I should snap her out of it.'_ The kitsune nodded to him self. He waved a small hand in front of Kagome's face. "Kagome?" The young miko blinked several times before smiling up at Shippou. 

      "Hai?" She asked.

      "Are you okay? You're not paying attention to where you're going…" Kagome giggled quietly.

      "Hai, Shippou-chan, I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff." She replied. Shippou nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of her, even after she looked away to stare at Inuyasha's back. Shippou looked up at Inuyasha and an idea popped into his head. 

      "Hey, someone should carry your pack for you! It must be pretty heavy." He said loudly. Kagome smiled at him again.

      "Naw, that's okay. I'm fine." 

      "Are you sure, Kagome-sama? I could carry it for you if you're too tired." Miroku spoke up, turning to look at her and walking backwards. Kagome waved it off.

      "I'm fine, really!" 

      Miroku nodded. "Alright. Just let us know when you get tired of carrying it." Kagome nodded with a 'Hai' just before something quite amusing to the group happened. Miroku stepped on his robe and fell flat on his butt. Kagome tried to stifle a giggle and Sango couldn't help it.

      "Are you okay, Hoshi-sama?" she asked. Miroku chuckled to himself.

      "Well, that'll teach me not to walk backwards again." He said as he stood up and brushed himself off. After a few more chuckles, the group continued on their way, as luck would have it, west. 

      _'Imagine that.'_ Kagome thought with a small smile. _'He shouldn't have any trouble at all helping us.'_  Something caught the corner of her eye and she smiled upon realizing what it was. She held out her hand and Tsunagi landed on it again. "Well, Tsunagi, it really would seem you like me." she said softly. The little firefly glowed a light pink before returning to its blue tint.

~~*~~

      Sesshoumaru walked through the forest of the western lands, headed toward Inuyasha's forest with Rin and Jaken trailing behind him, lost in thought. He had been wondering one thing the past two weeks. Why had he mated with a human? Why does he love her?? These thoughts plagued him night and day, and only let him be when he was near the young, alluring miko. _'I do not understand it. For years I have never felt anything for anyone, other than hatred toward my father and Inuyasha. So why did that change? When??' _he questioned himself. He knew though, that the answers to his questions were obvious. He had thought the miko quite interesting at first, two years ago. As time passed, he found himself thinking of her more and more often, his interest turning to respect, curiosity, admiration, and an unknown feeling of love, until the very thought of her wreathing in pleasure beneath him plagued his dreams.  

      He had, at first, thought of it as an obsession. He scoffed. _'I would never obsess over a mere human!' _A little voice in his mind countered that thought. 

      _Really, now? Never? You have never even worried for the safety of a human?? Not even for Rin? _It asked. 

      _'…'_

_      Ah ha! You have worried! You don't deny it! You know why, -Fluffy-. You know why you fell in love with the Miko. _

He mentally glared at the voice. _'If this is true, then why, pray tell, did I fall in love?'_

_      Because you can sense it. There is something different about her. Something…inhuman… _Sesshoumaru could practically hear the smirk/grin in the annoying little voice. 

      _Better yet, you fell in love with her because of something completely different. Something much more…complicated._

A low growl emanated from his throat without his knowing. _'And -what- would THAT be?' _The little voice grinned. 

      _Now then, if I told you, it would be no fun. You and Kagome must figure it out for yourselves. In the meantime, I shall be Right. Here._ The last two words were punctuated with the smirk that laced them. 

      Sesshoumaru glowered, thoroughly annoyed. '_Annoying voice. Go piss someone else off for a change. Believe me, you do NOT want to piss this Sesshoumaru off.'_ He warned. The voice, however, seemed to be ignoring him. He sighed in frustration. _'Fine. What to tell Inuyasha when I meet up with them…' _He mused over the question for quite a while before an idea suddenly popped into his mind. _'Yes, that should do perfectly…'_ he thought, pleased, to him self. He finally took notice of the little glowing light floating around them, entertaining Rin and causing her to giggle. He sighed. "And yet another annoyance…" he mumbled. 

      Jaken looked up at his master.  '_"And yet another annoyance?" Dose Lord Sesshoumaru speak of the child?'_ he paled slightly, _'or does my lord think of this Jaken as an annoyance?!_' for the remainder of the time, the small toad retainer wondered about his master's words with great worry he had been speaking of him. 

~~*~~

      Kagome wandered on, lost in thought again. Shippou was walking beside Kirara now, having gotten tired of riding in his 'mothers' arm's while she walked in a daze. The thoughts now floating around in her mind were, What would her mother think if she knew her only daughter had decided to live in Sengoku Jidai for the rest of her life? A new thought popped into her head suddenly. When had she fallen in love with Sesshoumaru? Or better yet, -why-? 

      _'Well,' _she thought, _'He's tall, handsome, powerful…' _A little voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. 

      _Hai, but is that really why you fell for him?_ It asked. Kagome thought about the question.

      _'No…'_

_      Then why?_

_      'I…' _the young miko sighed, _'because I feel safe whenever I'm near him. I get a feeling in my stomach, like butterflies. It's that feeling when you get when you drop from a high altitude on those park rides Souta loves so much…' _

_      And…_

_      'And…I've felt that way ever sense we were in their father's grave and I pulled out Tetsusaiga.' _She answered. 

      _There you go. You have answered when and why you fell for him. _A smile lined the voice. Kagome blushed. _'Yeah, there I go all right…' _

      Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to see that Kagome was in thought… again. Something caught his eye. _'Is she blushing? Or did she get a fever??' _he wondered. Silently, he dropped back behind the group, back to where Kagome was, and startled her out of her stupor as he placed a hand on her forehead. 

      "Wha-what are you doing, Inuyasha?" she asked in a nervous voice. 

      "Your face is red. I was checking to see if you have a fever, but you don't feel hot…" 

      "No, I'm fine! Really!!" she insisted, trying to shoo him away. Inuyasha frowned. 

      "Let's rest here." He said before jumping into a tree. 

      "He's acting odd…" Kagome muttered as she set her pack down and began to sift through it, searching for some things. 

      "That's because he's worried, just like we are. Kagome-chan, if you aren't feeling well, do you really think traveling is a good thing to do?" Sango asked from behind her friend. Kagome nodded.

      "I'm fine, Sango-chan, really!" She looked over her shoulder when an idea popped into her head. "Hey, Sango-chan!"

      The taijia blinked. "Nani?"

      "Want to bath with me? I'd rather not be alone today." She asked. Sango smiled and nodded. 

      "Hai, of course I will." Kagome smiled up at the taijia before turning back to finish gathering her things. Before she stood, Kagome felt a tugging on her shirt. She looked down to see the little kitsune looking up at her with a kawaii little pout on his face.

      "Kagome, can I come?" he begged. Kagome smiled and nodded her head, giggling. 

      "Hai, Shippou-chan!" His pout disappeared and he cheered, running around excitedly and eagerly waiting for the girls to catch up to him, though he never left their little camp. As they walked into the trees, Kagome called over her shoulder, "Inuyasha, you and Miroku better not spy on us!!" She smiled as she heard his answer. 

      "Feh, don't worry!" Inuyasha called after her. "It's not like there's anything -I- want to see!" He cringed, waiting for the inevitable, but it never came. He blinked and looked down at Kagome as she smirked at him. "What, no sit?" Her smirk turned into a sweet smile.

      "Now, Inuyasha, if I did use the s- word on you, who would keep Miroku from following us while you're out?" she asked sweetly.

      Miroku pouted and replied in a hurt voice, "Don't you trust me, Kagome-sama?" Both girls giggled as they walked away from their companions and toward the spring, Shippou trailing ahead of them. Miroku added under his breath, "Darn, I would have been able to get a peak in without them noticing…" 

      Inuyasha smirked down at him. "You mean before being brutally murdered." Miroku sighed, sitting against a tree trunk with his right arm draped across his right knee and his left elbow on his left while he rested his face against it. 

      "Yeah, you'd beat the crap out of me, then they'd finish the job." Inuyasha's smirk widened as he ran the scenario over in his mind, minus the dead-houshi part. 

~~*~~

      Kagome and Sango sank into the warm water of the hot spring, relaxing from their so-far short travel, as Shippou swam around, giddily splish splashing the spring water. "Kagome-chan, are you really okay?" Sango asked seriously. Kagome smiled and Sango and nodded. 

      "Hai. I think it was just a short thing. I don't even feel nauseous anymore, and I was before." She replied. Shippou swam up to her. 

      "I'm glad. I don't like it when you're sick, Kagome-okaasan." The kit admitted. Kagome smiled and pulled him into a hug. Shippou hugged her back before pulling away and diving into the water. The girls giggled as the little kit pounced on some imaginary foe that was lurking in the water. 

      They hadn't taken very long to bath before the girls were ready to go. Sango got out and dried, beginning to dress again. Kagome was about to get out also, when Shippou pouted at her. "Okaa-san, I wanna play a little longer! Onegai?" the kit placed his most adorable little pout on and Kagome sighed. 

      "Alright, just a while longer." She looked back at Sango. "Sango-chan, we'll be back soon. Make sure to keep the guys there, ne?" She asked. Sango nodded with a laugh. Kagome sat back into the warm water while Sango walked back to the guys and Shippou played some more. _'Well, Kagome, this'll be the best chance you have to let him know before we meet with Sesshoumaru again…'_ she told herself. "Shippou-chan." The little kit stopped his play and looked at his 'mother'. 

      "Hai?"

      Kagome motioned him over to her. He slowly came and sat on her lap. "Shippou, I have something that I need to tell you. I wanted to let you know before I choose to tell the others, so can you keep this secret for me?" The kit nodded vigorously. 

      "Of course! What is it?" He asked looking at her in curiosity. Kagome took a deep breath before revealing the mark on her neck that she had concealed with a small spell she knew. Shippou's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything, waiting for her to explain. 

      "Shippou-chan. I wanted to…to ask you something…" she paused, "I really like being your okaa-san and I want you to know I always will." She smiled down at him. "And I was wondering how you would feel about having a little sibling."  Shippou blinked at her several times, sorting the information she just gave him.

      "So…" he said slowly, "…When you were sick…you weren't really sick?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued. "And you've mated with someone, but we don't know who. And we know it's not Inuyasha." Again she nodded. Shippou asked the inevitable, something Kagome knew he would ask eventually, but she was fully prepared to answer it honestly. "Do you love him? Your mate?" 

      The miko smiled a genuine smile. "Hai, Shippou, very much." The kit nodded, then grinned at his adoptive mother and launched him self into a tight hug. Kagome laughed. "Should I take that as a yes?" she asked. Shippou nodded. 

      "Hai!! When will I be able to meet my new otou-san and when will the baby come?" he asked, the questions flying out of him so fast one might think Kagome wouldn't have been able to answer him. 

      "Well, you can meet the father sometime soon, but I don't know when. I know it'll be before the final battle with Naraku. And I really don't know when the baby will come. I don't know what to expect." She replied. "Come on, Shippou-chan, we need to get to the others before Inuyasha really does come to get us." The kit nodded and climbed out of the water. He dove into Kagome's towel and quickly dried as she giggled. She chanted the little spell to conceal her mark again, the one she had chanted to herself yesterday morning as she made her way away from Sesshoumaru and the spring, back to Kaede's hut, and then dried off her self while her little kit dressed. 

~~*~~

      It had been three days since Sesshoumaru had gone back to his abode to retrieve Rin and his retainer, Jaken, when they just happened to come across a particularly cruel youkai that was abnormally strong. The silver-haired taiyoukai narrowed his eyes at the lowly youkai. The stupid Tora had been dumb enough to try and kill Rin! HIS pup!! Sesshoumaru took a step toward the pathetic youkai, his eyes growing colder by the minute. The tiger backed up slowly when he felt his space was being invaded too far by the taiyoukai. Jaken desperately tried to turn the ningen child away and quell her fear, for fear that his master would punish him, while shaking in his own skin. 

      "You're not very smart now, are you?" Sesshoumaru questioned the poor baka in a voice colder than ice and completely void of emotion. The youkai's eyes widened slightly and he backed up more. Sesshoumaru smirked inwardly at that and momentarily stopped advancing. The inu-youkai looked the tiger over, sensing abnormal power within it. He allowed a vicious smirk to play across his lips for barely a moment before it disappeared, hidden by his stoic mask again. _'So, this pathetic youkai has a Shikon no Kakera in him. How fitting, he needs false power to overcome his opponents.' _

      Deciding to bait the youkai into attack, the great taiyoukai of the west took multiple steps backward. His amusement rose when the youkai took notice of it and took it to mean he was retreating in fear after feeling the power of the Shikon shards in his possession. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes again as the youkai attacked, swiping with dangerous claws. _'But that is all they are. Dangerous _claws_. No poison, just claws.' _Sesshoumaru thought disdainfully._ 'At least I get the fun of tearing this pathetic excuse of a youkai apart.' _He sidestepped the attack, and a few more, before landing his own fatal blow.

      At the youkai's third attempt at an attack, the silver-haired Inu-youkai struck, putting his right hand through the youkai's shoulder. With a short side-glance to Rin and Jaken proving to him that his retainer was capable of protecting Rin from the site of the youkai's death, Sesshoumaru filled his claws with his poison and attacked again, driving his hand through the youkai's heart, and, just for good measure, decapitating it. Luckily, for he did not wish for Rin to see such carnage at her young age, the poison made quick work of the youkai's flesh and remains, leaving behind three, tainted Shikon no Kakera. Stooping down, the golden-eyed lord picked up the Kakera and, straightening, he turned back to his companions. 

      "Rin. Jaken. Let's go." He commanded. The young girl nodded and quickly ran to her lord, holding onto his Hakama and sticking close to him, still frightened. Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl with soft eyes and placed a gentle hand on her head, giving her the most amount of comfort he could at the moment. 

      Behind them, Jaken stared at the place the youkai's remains had been as he passed. With a squawk he quickly ran to catch up with his lord and the ningen child.

      Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as they walked in silence. _'Now this is another excuse to join them. I can help retrieve the lost Kakera.'_

~~*~~

      With a giant yawn, Kagome almost fell asleep where she stood, walking and all! They had been heading in the direction the shards were said to be in, but so far they hadn't found anything. Not even a stray Kakera-possessing youkai! All this walking was starting to tire her. _'I wonder where Sesshy is…' _her weary mind wondered nonchalantly. She decided now was as good a time as any to speak her body's request. "Inuyasha, why don't we set up camp here?" Kagome inquired. Miroku nodded, agreeing with her. 

      "Hai, it would be nice to stop and get some sleep." Sango added, stifling a yawn. They had been walking since they had finished lunch, and now the sky was almost completely dark. Inuyasha snorted. 

      "Feh." He stopped and set Kagome's pack down. "Fine. We'll stay here tonight. I'll get us some firewood." He muttered the last bit as he wandered just barely out of site of the camp. In no time at all, Inuyasha returned to the camp and set up the fire. Kagome and Miroku rolled out the sleeping bags while Sango cooked their evening meal. 

      Kagome plopped down, tired, onto her sleeping bag and watched her companions go about their nightly activities. Sango cooked, Miroku groped and got hit, Inuyasha sat near the fire, waiting for the food, and Shippou and Kirara were lying at the bottom of Kagome's sleeping bag, Shippou using Kirara as a pillow as they both napped. The young raven-haired miko smiled at the little Kodak moment. _'Kawaii…' _she thought. _'That would be even cuter with Rin there, too.' _She smiled as she rested her head on her knees, which were drawn up to her with her arms around them. _'Where are you, Sesshoumaru?'_

      As if on cue, a rustling sounded in the trees not too far from her. Shippou and Kirara sprang up, suddenly on alert, Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga, Sango pulled out Hiraikotsu, and Miroku held his staff at the ready. Kagome merely turned to look behind her, as casual as if she had been expecting it. She watched as the taiyoukai of the west, Rin, and the toad walked out of the forest. 

      "What do you want, Sesshoumaru?!" Inuyasha sneered, spitting out his brother's name like poisoned food. Sesshoumaru stole Inuyasha a short glance before looking at Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara. His eyes moved to the person in front of him, finally falling on the being he was there to see. Kagome smiled up at him.

      "Konbanwa, Sesshoumaru-sama." She said casually. 

      "Konbanwa." He returned. 

      Kagome looked back at her companions to see shock on their faces. Inuyasha soon snapped out of it and snarled at his brother again.

      "I asked what you're doing here!"

      "Inuyasha," Kagome said sweetly. He never turned his gaze away from his brother, whom in turn never took his eyes from Kagome.

      "What?" he snapped. 

      "Sit." It was a simple command with a big impact. With a loud cry, Inuyasha was sent head first into the dirt.

      "What the hell was that for?!" he yelled from his current state; eating dirt. Sesshoumaru chuckled inwardly. 

      "Don't use that kind of language around children!" Kagome first snapped, ignoring the glare she received from the hanyou. "And you're scaring Rin!" Kagome held her arms out to the little girl, who happily sought her warmth and safety. Kagome, now facing Sesshoumaru, smiled up at him from her place on her sleeping bag. "To what do we owe the honor, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked with a smirk in her eyes. She knew perfectly well why he was there…

      "I've come to lend my assistance." He replied. He then pulled out the shards and handed them to Kagome. "I believe you are in my lands searching for these?" Kagome stared down at her hand, nodding.

      "When did you get these?" she asked. 

      "Earlier today." Rin answered her. "It was a mean youkai that tried to eat Rin!" she whined. "Mean youkai scared Rin!!" with that, Rin pouted. Kagome smiled and giggled a little at the pout. 

      "Don't worry. Sesshoumaru-sama protected you, ne?" she asked. Rin nodded. "And we'll all protect you here." Kagome said with a smile.

      "Even me!" Shippou spoke up, puffing out his chest like he was the toughest and bravest youkai in the world. Kagome giggled, joined by Rin, Sango, and Miroku chuckled quietly.

      "Inuyasha, put Tetsusaiga away. It's clear Sesshoumaru-sama did not come to kill us." Miroku said as he relaxed his staff. 

      "How do you know that?!" Inuyasha shot back.

      "If I had intended on harming any of you, do you really think I would have brought Rin with me?" Sesshoumaru asked, turning his cold gaze to his hanyou brother.

      "…" Inuyasha stayed silent. Relenting, he put Tetsusaiga away, but didn't take his eyes from his elder half brother. 

      Kagome rolled her eyes. "Really, Inuyasha." She mumbled. 

      "We were just about to eat. Are any of you hungry?" Sango asked. Rin brightened up and hopped off of Kagome's lap, skipping up to Sango.

      "Hai!!" she replied, all the while. Sango smiled and began to hand out bowls of ramen.

      "Jaken." Sesshoumaru directed to the toad beside him.

      "H-hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?" 

      "Go to some of the nearby villages, find out what you can about any shard possessing youkai in the area." 

      "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" With a short bow, the retainer scrambled back into the forest, grumbling under his breath about needing a break.

      Sesshoumaru ignored his servant and took a seat next to Kagome on her sleeping bag. She was barely eating the food Sango had given her. The silver-haired taiyoukai lifted a thin eyebrow. "Has the hanyou made you walk too much already?" he inquired. The miko giggled and shook her head.

      "No. I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep." Her attention was caught by a little glowing light that floated around him. She smiled. "So, you have one following you too, huh?" Sesshoumaru sighed in annoyance. 

      "Unfortunately." His response caused the miko to giggle again.

      "Have you named it yet?" she asked as the little firefly came to her. It landed on her outstretched hand, soon joined by Tsunagi. The taiyoukai merely answered with a small growl of annoyance. "I'll take that as a no. Well, then, it needs a name!" She sat watching the little firefly as it started to change colors. "You must be related to Tsunagi!" Sesshoumaru's curiosity was sparked. Who was Tsunagi? His question was answered when she continued. "Lets see…His name is Tsunagi…so why don't I call you…Hyourin?" both little fireflies brightened before the quickly floated away to the children.

      A thin eyebrow was raised, again, as Sesshoumaru watched his mate. "Hyourin? Tsunagi? You -named- them?" he asked. 

      "Yes. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go to sleep." She replied. Sesshoumaru said nothing as he stood, took her bowl and walked away. Kagome watched as he gave the bowl to Sango and walked back toward her, passing her and sitting at the base of the tree nearest to her. _'To protect me, most likely.'_ She thought to herself with a smile. She turned back to her friends. "Sango-chan, I'm going to sleep now, I'm really tired." 

      Sango looked back. "Okay. Goodnight, Kagome-chan."

      "Oyasuminasai." Kagome responded. Before long, the miko was tucked safely in her nebukuro, breathing evenly as she fell into the realm of sleep. 

      Sango walked over to the taiyoukai and quietly asked, "Would you like something to eat, Sesshoumaru-sama?" 

      Sesshoumaru only replied with one word and his icy glare. "No."

      Sango gulped. "O-okay. Oyasuminasai." She said just before walking away. Sesshoumaru didn't reply. 

      As Sesshoumaru sat against the tree, surveying the camp, he studied his new companions. Sango put the remainders of the food away before going to her own sleeping bag and going to sleep. She didn't fall asleep right away, however. The taiyoukai watched in slight amusement as the taijia glared daggers at the houshi as Miroku lay in his own bed, exceedingly close to the exterminators. He continued on, looking for Rin and Shippou. He found his pups (he now considered both as his) curled up against the ebony-haired, and greatly intriguing miko. He was almost jealous of the kit as he slept, curled up against Kagome's back, nose buried in the tip of his little tail. Rin had fallen asleep on the other side of Kagome.

       As he tore his eyes away from the little scene, he searched for the final member of their party, his annoying half-brother, Inuyasha. He found the hanyou sitting up in a tree on the left side of their camp, from where the taiyoukai sat. Inuyasha surveyed the area, spotting for danger, before turning his golden orbs upon his brother, glaring daggers at him. Sesshoumaru smirked inwardly. He ignored his brother, turning his eyes on his new little family before closing them, appearing as though he was asleep. He heightened his senses, listening to everything around him. Smells drifted past his nose, most unpleasant, but they were almost covered up by the alluring scent of Kagome; suzuran and a fresh spring rain. He could never grow weary of that scent. Never.

      The silver-haired taiyoukai drew his right knee to him and used it as an armrest as he continued to keep watch with his sense of smell and hearing. His ear twitched slightly as a suspicious sound drifted to him. Opening his eyes slightly, Sesshoumaru looked in the direction the sound was coming from and found… a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as an elegant eyebrow rose up just slightly. _'I had no idea Inuyasha snored. Perhaps I should…ask him about it later…'_ he thought with amusement. _'I wonder how he was ever able to protect his friends before. Certainly not by sleeping.'_ A new scent drifted to the taiyoukai's nose as he thought. He looked down at his arm to see Tsunagi and Hyourin sitting there. Their glow was a royal blue, and it was light, illuminating nothing beyond Sesshoumaru's sleeve. Lifting his eyebrow again, the taiyoukai closed his eyes once again, choosing to ignore the little annoyances.

      He smirked as he remembered the look Inuyasha had given him earlier. _'Just being here ticks the Hanyou off…now I can hardly wait for him to learn of Kagome's little secret…' _Little did he know, that Kagome's secret would surprise everyone there, including the taiyoukai and the miko…

~~*~~

 LK: ::grin:: An evil thing to say at the end…but then again, that's why I put it there! 

Lara: That…isn't really a cliffhanger…

LK: I know. But, there ya go. Chapter 2. I think I'm gunna try to update this fic every Monday, if not, I'll be sure to let you know… Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this! Wow, I'm so happy with all of the reviews! 33 and 30 in only the first two days!! Of course, I'm still waiting for two other reviews, from my friends, ::nudges Soli and Brit-chan:: ^. ~ I really hope you all liked this, now then…I -do- have a plot, amazingly, and it will be showing up soon. Although I think this fic has several plots to it…hm…Well, I guess I should get started on the next chapter! Oh, I suppose I should thank my reviewers first, huh?

Lara: Uh, yeah, I think they'd like that.

LK: ^^; okay, here they are. Thank you, mina, for reviewing!! ^_^

**Thanks to:** Sunstar, Shenya, boo21, silverstar-monk, Silver Dragon Myst, profile20, Mistress Fluffy, dark angel-justice, kagome-reborn, Kalika, Sesshoumorru, Inu-Leeli, Kinyta, Rei, uniko3000, Mala Valva, Tokyo Bunny, tessa, Angelie, hot_anime_babe, jen, tara, Cinderelly, Raven, Peaches, Poppadop, nari-thundergirl, Micah, Shadow, Zoe Tellerman, Sanjiian, and Ely Siriar. Thank so much for reading this!! ^_^ And I really hope you'll all check out my next Inuyasha fic that will most likely be up after I finish this, maybe when I'm mostly through it. Ja ne~!! 

LK: Oh, and to let you peps know, I think FF.N's word count is off by about 422 words…So just so that you know, the word count on here is according to my Word program. Well, Ja ne~!! ^_^ 

~~*~~ 

      Japanese Translations:

  Suzuran – Lily of the Valley 

  Nebukuro – sleeping bag

~*~

Words: 5, 725

Pages: 11 (technically, 10. This little bit doesn't count page wise…)

Written: June 27, 2003

Finished: 11:18 PM

~*~


	3. Chapter 3

Isshi no Ichimu

 By Lady Kaiba

DISCLAIMER: (that which was forgotten in the last chapter…) I dun own it, okay?!? Now leave me alone! I only like writing and playing with the characters. Rumiko Takahashi owns them, not I…

 LK:  Here's chapter 3…eh, not much to say now… R+R and enjoy! Oh, right…I suppose I should mention that I've been listening to Evanescence's Fallen CD, so…yeah, that's kinda been influencing me recently…although, I'm not sure if it's been affecting my writing for this fic or not…::shrug:: On with the ficcy!

~~*~~

    It wasn't long before the group was on their way north. It had taken them three days to get to the border of the northern lands, and now the group was walking along a river toward, according to Sesshoumaru, a small village. Inuyasha, as usual, was walking ahead of the group, still loathing the fact that his brother was with them. Sango and Miroku walked behind him, Kagome behind them, and Sesshoumaru just behind her, while the kids walked next to Kagome. Rin was awe-struck at the beauty of the field they walked through. On their left sat lush green grass, wild flowers growing all through out it, as well as in patches. On their right was the small river, flowing in the opposite direction. 

    A sudden commotion caught the group's attention. Ahead of them, several people were running toward them, their attention on the water. 

    "HELP!!!" The Kakera hunting group halted at the cry of a little boy. "Please help!!" 

    "Someone, please help him!" The woman in the front yelled. 

    Kagome's eyes widened when she saw the boy just a ways ahead of them, thrashing in the water, trying to stay afloat. "Inuyasha, help him!"

    "What am I suppose to do?!" he yelled back. 

    "Dive in there and pull him out, that's what!" Kagome yelled back. 

    "Stop yelling and go get him, Inuyasha!" Sango yelled. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. While the others were yelling at Inuyasha, the little boy was floating past them. Before anyone knew it, the boy was next to Kagome, coughing. Kagome knelt next to him, patting his back. 

    "Are you okay?" she asked, worried. The little boy's looked up at her, his short black hair disheveled and soaked. He slowly nodded.

    "Hai. A-arigatou." He replied.

    Kagome smiled. "You're welcome." 

    "Hitou!!" The young woman that had yelled earlier cried as she ran up to them. "Hitou! Are you okay?!" she asked. The little boy nodded. The young woman turned to the Kakera hunting group. "Thank you! Thank you so much for saving Hitou!" She stood and bowed to the group. 

    Kagome waved her hand. "It was nothing, really! We couldn't just let him drown." While she replied to the young woman, Sango smacked Inuyasha upside the head. 

    The young woman smiled at them. She had long black hair, pulled back into a ponytail, her skin was a pale peach, and her eyes were a shining shade of amethyst. She wore an orange kimono decorated with Ivy and Lilies that wrapped around the sleeves and bottom of the kimono. She looked to be a year younger than Kagome. "My name is Aki. Thank you for saving my little brother. Please allow me to thank you, stay with me tonight." 

    "That's very kind of you. I'm Sango-" 

    Miroku grabbed Aki's hand, bowing to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aki. I am Miroku, would you do me the honor of bearing my son?" Aki stood there, shocked and blushing, before she suddenly found Miroku on the ground, unconscious. An angry Sango stood behind him, Hiraikotsu still sitting on his head. 

    She quickly put her boomerang back on her back. "Eheh, don't mind Miroku, he does that with every pretty girl." 

    Inuyasha snorted. "The stupid lecher…" 

    "He won't do it again, I promise." Sango continued, ignoring Inuyasha.

    Hitou watched Miroku, as he lay unconscious in front of him. "Will he be okay?" 

    "Oh, yeah, just fine. My name's Kagome." Kagome replied. 

    "It's nice to meet you." Aki bowed. "Shall we go to the village? The rest of you may introduce yourselves there." She looked down at her little brother. "Hitou should get changed soon so that he doesn't get sick."

    "I agree." Kagome helped Hitou up and the group walked back to the village, Inuyasha reluctantly carrying Miroku.

~~*~~

    Once in the village, the Kakera hunting group had been led to a largely sized hut by the center of the village. Inside, Hitou was ushered into his room and into a new kimono while the visitors sat in the main room, patiently awaiting the return of their hosts. Kagome sat with her back against a wall, Rin and Shippou sitting on her. Rin was in her lap, and the little kit sat comfortably on her shoulder. Sesshoumaru sat next to her, with enough space between them for either Rin or Shippou, and where the neko lay, to Sesshoumaru's utter annoyance. 

    Miroku, whom had once again regained consciousness, sat closer to the fire, and coincidentally, disturbingly close to Sango. Sesshoumaru watched the houshi in interest, wondering when he would be knocked unconscious again. Inuyasha, grumbling, sat near the door, wanting to be away from his half brother. He also hated that he was sitting so close to Kagome. '_She better not get hurt!_ _Thank kami the cat's there… What the hell am I thinking?! I'm acting like an overprotective older brother AND a jealous wanna-be boyfriend!' _He mentally smacked himself. Still grumbling, he decided that he had acted that way because he would be pissed if she were ever hurt, and would definitely rip the Taiyoukai to pieces if he ever hurt her…in ANY way!!

    Aki and Hitou walked back into the main room and took a seat near the fire, facing their guests. "So, Introductions have not been finished…" she looked at the group. "I know that you are Kagome, Sango, and Miroku," she said to the three that had introduced themselves by the river. "But who are the rest of you?" 

    "I'm Shippou!" The kit piped up. "And this is Rin." The ebony-haired child waved at them with a smile on her face, from her comfortable seat on Kagome's lap. She was leaning back into her chest with Kagome's arms wrapped around her. '_Much like a mother and her child.'_ Aki mused with a small smile. "Grumpy, over there, is Inuyasha." Shippou provided, smirking at the easily irritated hanyou. 

    "Shut up, pup!" Shippou just grinned and stuck his tongue out.

    "Shippou! Don't provoke Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. The kit abruptly behaved, looking up innocently. Kagome sighed, exasperated. Her hand moved to pet the neko youkai. "This is Kirara, she's Sango's neko youkai companion." She said. Kirara began to purr loudly as Kagome scratched her neck affectionately. "And the block of ice beside me is Sesshoumaru-sama." She finished. Sesshoumaru sent his secret mate a short, insulted glare, which was completely ignored. 

    Aki watched the taiyoukai for a while as his icy glare, oddly, did not frighten her. Sure she was a bit uneasy, but not frightened. She sensed no hostility from him. _'He has no intention of harming the village, that much is clear. But…why is he with this group?' _Voicing her thoughts, she asked, "If I may ask, why is the Great Taiyoukai of the West traveling with this group?" 

    "What I do is my business." He replied shortly, turning his eyes momentarily to the boy, then to glare into the fire. 

    Kagome gave Sesshoumaru a slightly aggravated look. She turned her attention back to her hostess. "Sesshoumaru-sama is helping us because, like the rest of us, he wants to put an end to Naraku." She said. Sesshoumaru seemed to be paying attention to nothing as he watched the flames, seemingly entranced. 

    _'Indeed. I also wish to keep my mate and pups from harm, however, they need not know that…yet…' _

    "I see. So you are hunting the shards as well as the evil hanyou?" Aki asked. Kagome nodded.

    "Everyone here has been harmed by Naraku in one way or another." She spoke quietly. 

    "How do you mean?" Hitou piped up, his voice quiet and curious. 

    Sango sighed. "A while ago, my village was destroyed. Naraku used my little brother to do this; he controlled him like a puppet and had him kill everyone in my village. I, too, was almost killed. Kohaku came to his senses after I had been injured with his weapon. He was running to my aid when he was shot with a dozen arrows. Naraku took him back then. My little brother would have died if it wasn't for the shard Naraku placed in his back. He's still with that bastard." Sango explained, eyes filled with unshed tears. 

    Aki provided her with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for your loss." Sango nodded and hastily wiped the tears away.

    Sesshoumaru glanced at the taijia. _'So that is why she pursues him.' _

    Miroku offered his story next. "Two generations ago, Naraku disguised himself as a beautiful woman. He fooled my grandfather, and placed a curse upon him. Every male in my family has been cursed with this wind tunnel." He said, motioning to his arm that held the prayer beads. "It has swallowed both my grandfather and father- I bore witness to his death at a young age- and the same will happen to me. This curse will not be broken until Naraku is no more." He said. His story seemed to not have affected him much, but inside, the memory and constant reminder hurt him. 

    "That's horrible!" Hitou said. 

    "It kinda explains why he's a lecher." Kagome added. Miroku gave her a look that plainly stated 'Gee, thanks.' 

    Aki turned her attention to Inuyasha. "What has Naraku done to you?" 

    Inuyasha's ears twitched nervously. He kept his golden orbs focused on the floor and offered no explanation. Kagome sighed. 

    "It's a very sore subject with Inuyasha. Of all of us here, he's the one with the biggest grudge against him." She said. 

    "What could be more horrible than Sango and Miroku's reasons?" Aki asked. 

    Inuyasha glared coldly at the floor. "Causing the death of you and your love." He said harshly before standing and storming out the door. The group heard as Inuyasha jumped on the roof and plopped down heavily. 

    Aki looked down at her lap, where her hands tightly grasped the fabric of her kimono. "How horrible…" she said barely above a whisper.

    "Wait, if he died, how is he alive now?" Hitou asked, confused. 

    Kagome quietly offered a bit of the story. "He wasn't really dead. Naraku disguised himself as Inuyasha and attacked Kikyou, his first love. Kikyou was injured badly, and 'Inuyasha' took the jewel from her saying something like 'You really thought I'd use the jewel to fully become a human?' then he returned the jewel to the village. The real Inuyasha later stole it from the shrine it was in. While he was running from the village, Kikyou shot him with an arrow, pinning him to the God Tree and causing him to lose the jewel. He was put into a deep sleep from a spell that was on the arrow…And Kikyou died from the wound Naraku gave her, only minutes after sealing Inuyasha. That day, Naraku caused them to think the other betrayed them." She said, not looking at anyone. "That was about fifty two years ago. Two years ago, I was being chased by a centipede youkai, and somehow when I was calling for help, Inuyasha awakened. I was the one that released him from the spell Kikyou placed on him all those years ago." That was all Kagome would say in reference to Inuyasha's past.  

    "And…what about you?" 

    Kagome looked up to meet Aki's eyes. "Well, Naraku really hasn't done anything to me other than try to kill me. He's only after me because I'm the jewel's new protector, and he wants it." She giggled half-heartedly. "My excuse is so pathetic compared to everyone else's." Aki nodded in agreement with a half-hearted smile. 

    Her attention turned to the kit. "What has he done to you?" she inquired. 

    "Nothing. I'll follow Kagome-okaasan anywhere! My real parents were killed two years ago by two nasty youkai called the Thunder Brothers.  I met Kagome and Inuyasha by stealing a jewel shard to get revenge. I didn't do it though, Inuyasha was the one that destroyed them." The kit replied. 

    "I see…" 

    Kagome decided to change the subject to something else, to lighten the mood. "Hey, Aki, I noticed that this hut is a lot bigger than most. Why's that?" she asked in pure curiosity. 

    "Oh, well, you see, our grandfather was the village's leader." Aki replied. 

    "Was?" Sango asked. 

    "Hai. He died just last year, passing the responsibility on to our mother." 

    "Momma was also a Miko, so her duty was very dangerous." Hitou supplied. 

    The group seemed surprised, even Sesshoumaru looked up at the young woman and boy, lifting a curious eyebrow just slightly. 

    "So you're a miko?" Kagome asked. Aki nodded. "That's funny. I never even sensed it…" she mumbled.

    "Sensed it?" Aki asked, looking at her in curiosity.

    "Kagome is a Miko, as well." Miroku said. Kagome nodded, confirming it. 

    "I'm the protector of the Shikon no Tama. And," she spoke, her voice slightly with despair, "I see it more as a death wish. The jewel is nothing but trouble, and I swear it's going to get me either killed, or badly hurt. Neither option of which looks appealing, mind you." She said. 

    "I'm sorry, that must be a horrible burden. Much worse than what I have to deal with here." Aki said sympathetically. Kagome shrugged.

    "I've been doing it for the past two years, and I'm still alive and well. Not to mention I have a lot of friends that will help me. I guess it's just the price of being a powerful Miko's reincarnation." She replied casually. She looked back up at Aki. "You said it sounds much worse than what you have to deal with?" 

    Aki nodded. "Mother died a few months ago. Now I am both the village miko and leader, at least until Hitou is old enough to take on the responsibility of being the head." 

    "I'm sorry. You've also lost someone. We have something in common." Sango said as she watched the siblings with saddened eyes. Aki smiled faintly.

    "I wouldn't have been able to handle everything if it wasn't for our lord's help." She said. The taiyoukai's interest in the miko's story was greatly sparked. He lifted a slim, elegant eyebrow.

    "The Northern Lord visits this village?" he asked. Aki nodded. "Why?" 

    "…" She was quiet as she contemplated on how to tell the story, or if she even should. Sighing, she replied, "A year ago, mother sent me out of the village to find some of her herbs for her special medicinal tea. It was something that was suppose to help relax her patients and stressed villagers, or women with child during and before births." She glanced at the taiyoukai before looking back at Kagome and the children, Sango and Miroku. She turned her gaze back to Kagome. "On my way back to the village, I was attacked by a group of ookami youkai."

    Kagome frowned slightly. "You were attacked by wolves? Hopefully it wasn't Kouga's pack…" she muttered the last bit under her breath. 

    Aki continued, "Yes. I was fifteen at the time, and frightened out of my mind. It's embarrassing, because my miko training completely abandoned me then, like I was a normal ningen girl." She turned her gaze to her lap, "I don't know what they would have done to me, but I'm sure I never want to know. I had fallen to the ground, completely helpless, awaiting for my inevitable death." 

    Sesshoumaru listened to the story with slightly narrowed eyes in disgust. _Helplessness. The one thing ningens are famous for. They are useless for anything. _He then winced at his on thoughts, berating himself for insulting his mate's race. 

    "It never came," Aki continued as the taiyoukai's thoughts went back to the story. "When I looked up, all I saw was the carnage that remained of the youkai. I was confused, until someone knelt by me. When I turned to see who it was, after recovering from my shock, I remember seeing a very handsome young looking man." Kagome noticed the blush that rose to Aki's face as she began to describe the man. "He was really tall when he stood, as tall as you, Sesshoumaru-sama. His hair was long and raven black and his eyes were violet. I didn't know who he was until he introduced himself and asked if I was all right. He brought me back to the village, and he's been helping us out ever since." Her blush faded to a look of concern. "I haven't seen him since he came to help me out last. It was about a month after mother's death." She said. 

    "Maybe he's busy. He is the lord, right?" Kagome asked. With Aki's nod, she continued. "Lords are generally really busy. I mean, they have so much to do between patrolling their lands and taking care of paperwork, right?" she asked, turning her gaze to Sesshoumaru. He simply nodded before she looked back at her hostess. "You shouldn't worry. I'm sure he'll be back again sometime when you need some help again. I'm sure he's just stuck in his home with mountains of paperwork, or something." She giggled at the thought, soon joined by Sango and Aki.

    "If he has not shown himself in quite some time, then he is hiding." Sesshoumaru said nonchalantly, resting an arm on his knee as he leaned back against the wall, shutting his eyes. 

    The girls stopped giggling and everyone in the room looked at the Youkai Lord. "What do you mean?" Kagome asked. 

    Sesshoumaru replied without moving a muscle. "The other Lords have been pressuring him, no doubt. It's about time he chose a mate. If he does not choose before the next year, he will be forced into mating with the woman the lords of the East and South will choose for him. They do that with young, unmated lords."

    Miroku lifted an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "So does that mean they've been doing the same to you, Sesshoumaru-sama?" he inquired. Sesshoumaru graced him with an icy glare. 

    "They no longer disturb me." was all he supplied for an answer. 

    Kagome's face flushed slightly. "Well, um…anyway," she said, quickly trying to change the subject. She suddenly noticed that the sun had long since set below the horizon. "How time flies…" she muttered. She turned her attention to the children, noticing Rin and Shippou's attempts to squish their yawns. Across from her, Hitou had done the same, though failing somewhat.  "I think it's time for bed. The sun's already set." She said. Aki nodded. 

    "Yes, I agree. We've been talking for quite a while. I'll set up your rooms." Rising to her feet, she pulled Hitou with her as they exited the room. 

~~*~~

    Kagome lay on her sleeping bag in the room she was sharing with the children and taiyoukai. The only one to complain about the sleeping arrangements had been Inuyasha. Aki had said Kagome and the children could share a room, since the kids didn't want to be away from her. Sesshoumaru had gone with them since Rin hadn't wanted to sleep in a room without her 'father' there with her as well as the motherly miko. Inuyasha, on the other hand, had been offered to share with Sango and Miroku, but opted to sleep outside in the nearest tree, which happened to be on the edge of the village and a good distance away from the huge hut. Sango had erupted into a blushing statue when she heard that she would share with Miroku, whom lecherously smirked. He, of course, was re-acquainted with Hiraikotsu only moments after they went to their room, soon followed by a loud "HENTAI!!" Kirara, in sympathy for her mistress, followed them to try and keep the lecher in line. 

    Sesshoumaru had outwardly smirked when the crash and yell had been heard. At another loud crash, he chuckled slightly. He looked down and his mate and his smirk widened. She scowled up at him, her head tilted back to see him, though he was upside down. He couldn't help it. He laughed quietly, trying not to wake the heavily sleeping children. Kagome had placed them both on their own sleeping bag by a wall. They were cuddled together; the kit's tail covering his nose once again. The inu-youkai's gaze went from his pups to his mate. 

    Kagome sighed as he only seemed amused at her look. True, she too had been amused by the two in the other room, but not so much as she normally would have. Now she was too busy with her troubling thoughts. She hadn't even noticed when Sesshoumaru brought his attention back to her as she stared up at the ceiling. She was oblivious to his golden orbs as they took in her form, running along her body and taking in the bizarre outfit she had changed into. She had told him it was a new gift from her mother, given to her the last time she had visited. The shirt she wore was what she called a spaghetti strap and was a light blue. It came down to an inch above her waist, where her thin, loose cotton pants began. They matched her top, being more of a turquoise color, but the two different shades blended wonderfully. Not to mention they made her look lovely. 

    Moving from his seat against the back wall of the room, the taiyoukai sat next to his mate, gently running his hand down from her face to her abdomen, where skin still showed, and resting gently atop of her own hand. Her blue eyes focused as she looked into warm gold. "What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly. Kagome sighed. 

    "I know how long a normal human pregnancy lasts…but how long will this one?" she asked quietly. 

    "I assume it's the same." 

    "Hm…" She turned her head to look at the kids, lacing her fingers with Sesshoumaru's. 

    "You should go to sleep." His smooth voice drifted quietly to her ears. She turned back to him and was slightly startled when she found his lips on hers, kissing her gently, but full of his pent up passion. Slowly, she replied to the kiss. All too soon, he pulled away, stretching out at her side and pulling her into his embrace. She cuddled up to him, entwining their legs together. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she inhaled his calming, and alluring, scent of the nature he spent so much of his time wandering through. "Sleep." He whispered. 

    "Mm-hm…" she replied, already halfway there, her hands fisted into the front of his haori. 

    He watched as her breathing evened out as she slipped into the realm of dreams. The taiyoukai kept watch during the night, never once letting go of his dear mate, for this would be the only night in what he assumed would be a long while before he would be able to hold her again. 

~~*~~

    Morning rose, and Kagome slowly awakened to find herself sleeping alone. Turning over, she saw that the children were gone. She looked around the room. She was completely alone there. Faintly, she heard voices quietly talking in the main room. The miko lazily dragged herself out of her sleeping bag and over to her pack. Heaving it onto her back, she made her way out of the room. She froze at the door. _'I had better change. This isn't exactly appropriate to wear around Miroku.'_ She thought. 

~~*~~

    Kagome entered the main room dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a short sleeved, maroon, shirt, carrying her pack with her. She smiled at the occupants of the room. "Ohayo!" 

    "Ohayo, Kagome-chan!" Sango replied with a smile. "You're happy this morning. Sleep well?" she asked. Kagome nodded. 

    "Hai! Very." She nearly dropped her pack when Shippou and Rin glomped her. 

    "Kagome-neechan!" 

    "Okaa-san!" Both the kit and child ningen yelled in unison. The miko laughed. 

    "You're acting like you haven't seen me for a long time!" she laughed. 

    Shippou looked up at her, slightly pouting. "Sesshoumaru-sama made us leave when we got up, so that we wouldn't wake you." He replied. Kagome hugged both in turn. 

    "Arigatou! I really needed to sleep, too." She turned her attention to Aki, who was heading out of the hut. "Aki," she said, stopping the young woman.

    "Hai?" she asked. 

    "Is there a spring near by? I'd like to bathe before we leave." Aki nodded.

    "Head to the west of the village, it's not far away. Only Hitou and myself use it, so you won't be disturbed by anyone." She replied. Kagome bowed, well, as well as she could with two kids still latched onto her. 

    "Arigatou!" Aki nodded, smiled, and continued on her way out, carrying a small basket. Kagome turned to the two children. "Would you two like to keep me company?" she asked. Both nodded vigorously. 

    "HAI!!" they replied. 

    "Okay. Now come on!" she said. Shippou hopped from her arms to her shoulder, and Rin opted for clasping onto her hand. "Sango, you know what to do!" she said, winking at her friend. Both young women laughed. 

    "Of course, Kagome-chan!" Sango replied. 

    The miko next turned to the Inu Taiyoukai. "Sesshoumaru-sama, if Inuyasha asks, would you please tell him I'll be back in an hour?" with his impassive nod, she smiled brightly at him and, restraining herself from hugging or kissing him, walked out of the hut with the two kids. 

~~*~~

    The small group of the miko and her pups walked through the forest area, nearing a medium sized hot spring. When they arrived there, Kagome had to quickly catch the young girl before she jumped in, clothes and all, each giggling happily. The two kids quickly undressed before jumping into the warm water, Shippou unexpectedly doing a cannon ball. The miko laughed at her kit's antics as she joined the two. Shippou accidentally ended up splashing Rin as he dove for the bottom of the spring, thus beginning a splash war between the kids once he returned to the surface. Kagome watched, a good distance away, with an amused smile on her lips. _'This is so much fun! Kinda like I'm a mother watching her children play…' _she felt heat rise to her cheeks. _'But then again, I _am_ a mother watching her children play…'_ a soft, loving smile replaced the one of amusement as her thoughts wandered to her hansom, powerful Taiyoukai mate. 

    "Ah ha!" Kagome was startled out of her stupor with a laugh when a nicely sized wave of warm water hit her smack dap on the face. Luckily, her eyes had drifted closed as her mate wandered into her mind's eye. Rin screamed and giggled, swimming away as fast as she could with Shippou on her tail as both ran from their adoptive mother as she attacked, laughing her revenge. 

    It had been just more than half an hour when the water fight had ended and the tree climbed out, drying and dressing in new clothing, which Kagome provided for them. She pulled on a simple outfit of blue jeans and a dark green tank top. Rin and Shippou dressed in their normal style of clothing, fit for that time. Kagome smiled down at the kids. "Shall we head back?" she asked. 

    "Hai! Rin wants to tell Sesshoumaru-sama how much fun she had with Kagome-neechan and Shippou-kun!" the little girl replied. Kagome smiled again and nodded. Turning to get her back, she heard Shippou cry out. The miko turned sharply to see her kitsune pup unconscious on the ground. Her eyes widened and, before she could do anything, she felt something hard connect with her head and darkness overtook her.

~~*~~

    The taiyoukai of the west turned his head slightly. His golden orbs studied the door for a moment as he remained in the same seat he had been in since he left his mate in the morning. He gracefully rose to his feet and walked over to the entrance to the hut, eyes carefully examining the western border of the village, when Kagome and the kids had gone. Everything appeared to be peaceful in the village, nothing amiss. Sesshoumaru's dangerous golden eyes drifted over a specific area and stopped. That was where the spring was, he knew. "Something isn't right…" he muttered barely above a whisper. 

    The monk looked up at the taiyoukai's back, wondering what he meant. He had heard the inu-youkai's words only because it was so quiet in the room, with only himself and the taiyoukai remaining. Hitou had offered to show them around the village, but Sango was the only to accept his offer. Miroku stood, grabbing his staff upon habit, and walked over to the door. Sesshoumaru had stepped outside already, staring intently at the area. "What isn't right?" 

    Sesshoumaru's cold eyes turned to glare at the monk. He contemplated for a moment before inclining his head toward the spring. Miroku watched the area before a feeling of foreboding came over him. He looked back at his taiyoukai 'companion', a look of understanding in his eyes. Without a word, the two took off in the area, Sesshoumaru, for once, not using his full speed so that the human would not lose him. 

    "Wait! What's going on?!" Sango yelled as they passed her and their hosts. The two stopped. 

    Sesshoumaru looked at Miroku. "You may talk with them, I will wait at the spring." With a nod from the monk, he vanished. 

    Sango looked at the houshi with confusion etched into her features. "What's going on, Miroku?" she asked. The look on his face, it's seriousness, frightened her. 

    "Sesshoumaru-sama sensed something at the spring was amiss. When I was looking in the direction he directed my attention to, a distinct feeling of foreboding overcame me. I have a feeling that something has happened to Kagome-sama and the children." The monk replied. 

    "Then we had better hurry!" Sango replied. "I need to get Hiraikotsu!" Miroku nodded and Sango turned to run back to the hut but came to face with a surprise. Hitou ran up to the group with Hiraikotsu on his back He quickly Hiraikotsu to Sango. The two lifted an eyebrow as Aki ran up behind her brother, fully clothed in miko garb with weapons in place. "Aki-chan?"

    Aki, now armed with a quiver of arrows, a bow, and a sheathe- that appeared to hold a sinewy sword., looked at them with a serious expression as she tied her long hair back. "I'm going to help you, weather you like it or not! It's the least I could do to thank you!" 

    "But you already have by loaning us your hospitality!" Sango replied. 

    "Don't argue about it! Go help Kagome!!" Hitou scolded the three. Miroku nodded. 

    "He is correct, we should hurry." Quickly the three ran for the spring, Kirara running at their heals. 

~~*~~

    Sesshoumaru arrived at the spring to find it completely peaceful. He could see no one was there, but his eyes fell on the proof that his mate and the pups had been there. Kagome's yellow pack sat, still open, on the ground only feet away from the pool of water. His eyes drifted over to a small pile of fur and cloth. Fear shot through him momentarily and he was quickly at the Kitsune's side. Assessing the damage, he determined that the kit had merely been knocked unconscious, unharmed otherwise. He gently prodded the kit. "Wake up, kit!" 

    "Hm…" Shippou scrunched his face up in pain as he roused. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, gently rubbing the back of his head as the others arrived, Inuyasha included. 

    Inuyasha looked from the kit to his half brother, kneeling on one knee next to him and watching the kit intently. He growled. "What did you do?!" 

    The Inu-Taiyoukai ignored the hanyou. "Shippou, tell me what happened." He said calmly, with a slightly threatening tone to his voice, undoubtedly caused by his annoyingly accusing hanyou brother. 

    Shippou looked up at Sesshoumaru, not saying anything, hand still on his head. Determining that it was okay, tears pooled in his eyes as he launched himself at the taiyoukai, startling him. "Sesshoumaru!!!" he wailed. "We were getting ready to leave when all of a sudden I was hit and knocked unconscious! I could see someone knocking Rin out before I blacked out!!!" he cried. 

    Recovering from his shock, Sesshoumaru listened to the kit, completely stoic on the outside, but furious on the inside, as he rested a kind hand on the kit's back. "Stop your crying!" he demanded. Shippou stopped just as suddenly, doing as he had commanded. He looked up at the taiyoukai, pulling his face away from his haori. Sesshoumaru stared down at the kit. "Did you see anything else?" he asked patiently. Shippou thought for a moment before shaking his head. 

    Sesshoumaru stood again, the kit relocating to the Taiyoukai's right shoulder, sitting upon the fluffy fur. Closing his eyes, the taiyoukai sniffed the air, sorting out the different scents. There was his annoying half brother, the houshi, the taijia, the head miko, the kit, the neko youkai, his mate, Rin…and three other, unmistakably male scents, other than his own. His golden eyes opened to look at his remaining companions, plus one. "Three male youkai. That is all I can smell…" He turned to the north. "That way…"

    Inuyasha, forgetting his misinterpretation of the situation, nodded. Kirara transformed, and the group of humans climbed onto her back. Sesshoumaru went quickly, but only fast enough for his half brother to be able to keep up with him, and so that the kit wouldn't fly off. The group headed quickly to the north. "So, three youkai kidnapped Kagome and Rin? Why the HELL would they do that?!?" Inuyasha yelled. 

    "I do not know, but they will pay dearly." The taiyoukai replied, a deadly tone to his voice. The others nodded agreeing, not finding anything about what he said strange as the just assumed he was speaking of revenge for daring to kidnap his ward, Rin. 

    Shippou watched the taiyoukai as they traveled. _'When I was crying…I could definitely smell something on him…I know that scent…it's my okaa-san! But why would it be on Sesshoumaru…?' _His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. _'Kagome's pregnant…she wouldn't tell me who the father is…'_ he smiled slightly. _'…Well now you don't need to tell me, okaa-san!! I know it! Sesshoumaru is your mate!!' _he thought, happy for some reason that it was Sesshoumaru and not someone like Kouga that captured his mother's heart. A thought suddenly popped into his mind. _'I wonder how Inuyasha will react…'_

~~*~~

    A crimson-eyed figure, distinctly male, watched from the shadows of a high cliff as the Kakera hunting group moved swiftly in his direction. His lips curled up into a cruel smirk, bearing the points of deadly fangs, as long midnight-ebony hair billowed around him. "Here they come, flocking like male youkai to a yasha in heat." His smooth, dark voice carried on the wind, reaching only his ears. "Your mate comes, my dear. All that is left is to discover which it is…" his smirk widened just slightly, "However; I believe I can guess…" he continued, sadistic amusement lacing his words. 

~~*~~

    "I don't understand why we can't help!" a teenage male spoke, frustration and worry in his voice. He stood on a small cliff in the opposite direction, watching as the group swiftly carried on toward where dark miasma loomed, in the far cliffs. His arms crossed stubbornly over his chest, black haori, hakama, and mid-back length ebony hair fluttering in the wind. His violet eyes were trained on the white clad taiyoukai leading the group. Single crimson streaks ran across both sides of his face, much like Sesshoumaru's markings. Below them were scythe shaped markings, parallel to the streaks and a deep amethyst. His forehead bore a silver six-pointed starburst, right where the western taiyoukai's crescent would be. 

    "You know perfectly well why we cannot help!" Snapped a strong, smooth female voice. Standing next to him was a beautiful young woman. Her extremely long silver-streaked ebony hair whipped around her, never becoming tangled in itself or anything else. Her arms crossed over her chest, just as stubbornly at the young man next to her, over a crimson kimono. The silver obi was desperately held on by the golden cord around it, which also held the crimson kimono from flying off of the young woman. Her eyes were a stunning silvery-sapphire, and the markings on her ashen skin were identical to those of her companion's. 

    Her companion sighed. "Hai, I know why, but I still don't like it!! We're suppose to protect her!" he complained. 

    "Bite your tongue! We will not interfere with fate's plans!" she hissed, never once looking at him.  "We will watch from a distance until this is over, then and _only_ then will we reveal ourselves to them! Do you understand?" she demanded sharply.

    "Yes, _Mother_." He hissed through clenched teeth. Knowing it would not be wise to anger his mother further, the young man opted to glare across the chasm at the dark figure. 

    The young-looking woman's silvery-sapphire orbs glared dangerously into the shadows of the cliffs so far from them, into the vile crimson of the sadistic youkai that had the audacity to do what he had done. True, he was not one to be messed with, being a youkai so much more than Naraku ever could hope to be, but what he has done not only pissed a powerful Taiyoukai and his companions, but also tested the furry of the very two across from him. The very powers of those so much like the gods…

~~*~~

LK: I'm cruel, ne? ::grin:: Nice little cliffy!!

Lara: You _are_ the sadistic unknown youkai!! Evil LK!!

LK: ^_^ Oh well…I like to leave you in suspense. Anyway, sorry this is late, but hey! Look at it this way; because it's late, it's so much better!!

Lara: …she was originally distracted when she was trying to finish this last minute, so you can blame her friend and AIM…

LK: ^_^; Uh…yeah…anyway, gomen, and don't expect the next chapter anytime soon….I won't be naming names again until maybe the end of the story, but thank you to all of you whom have reviewed this! And please forgive any mistakes in this chapter…I don't really feel like pre-reading it before I post this…Gomen-nasai!! But it's 2 AM!!! T_T I'm really cutting this close! The 'rent gets up to go to work at 4 AM and I usually don't get to bed before ten minutes before then!!! 

Lara: You're gunna get caught one of these days, LK…

LK: -.- I've been caught before….Anyway! Enough gabbing! Please R+R!! You're reviews help me out a lot!!! Arigatou, mina-san!! 

~~*~~

    Japanese Translations:

  Yasha (::snicker::)- Female demon

  Oyasumi-nasai- good night (forgot it last chap.)

LK: And some of you wanted to know what Tsunagi and Hyouri meant, so…I guess here it is!

   Tsunagi- Time (basically ^^;) 

   Hyourin- Moon; the moon

   Aki- autumn 

~*~

Words: 6, 600

Pages: 12

Written: July 9, 2003

Finished: 2:18 AM

~*~


	4. Chapter 4

Isshi no Ichimu

By Lady Kaiba

Disclaimer: Ya want a disclaimer?! Go look at the second chapter! I've already said that I dun own Inuyasha!

LK: Chapter 4!! ^__^ This chapter is gunna take a while because of what I have planned for it…hm…..please be patient with me, and I hope you all enjoy! 

~~*~~

Sesshoumaru was becoming impatient. At this rate, they wouldn't make it to his mate and pup in less than two days!! Despite their apprehension, the group had stopped once the sun began to fall beyond the western skies. The taiyoukai now sat far from the fire, his entire being rigid with his tense muscles. His back against a tree, and arms crossed over his chest, the Inu Youkai glared around the forest before closing his dangerous golden eyes. _'The bastards will pay!' _he swore to himself. 

From near the fire, Shippou watched the taiyoukai. _'Sesshoumaru is pissed off…Even though he's his normal cold, emotionless self, I can still see it. He's so tense. Now's when I feel kinda bad for the poor bastard that decided to kidnap Okaa-san and Rin-chan.' _He thought. Turning his attention to the hanyou, up in his tree, he noticed Inuyasha was much the same way, completely tense, though visibly pissed. Sighing, Shippou walked over to the Taiyoukai and sat in his lap. 

When Sesshoumaru felt something light sit on him, he opened his eyes and glared down at the kit. Shippou looked up at him, the emotions in his eyes consisting of pain, worry, sympathy, and…knowing? Admiration? The taiyoukai couldn't quite tell what the emotion was, but knew it was one of the two…or possibly a combination of them. The young kit surprised him for the second time that day by snuggling up to Sesshoumaru, wrapping his tail around himself in slight comfort. Sesshoumaru continued to watch the kit as he closed his eyes, a little hand clutching at the white haori. Surprising those that watched them curiously, the Inu Taiyoukai moved the long tail end of his pelt and tucked it around the kit before resting a hand on his back. He felt Shippou snuggle in closer to him moments before falling into the dark abyss of sleep. Sesshoumaru too closed his eyes after the kit was asleep, completely ignoring his companions.

Smiling to herself, Aki watched the small show of affection. The wheels in her head were turning as she connected the information she had. The Taiyoukai's slightly odd behavior, Kagome and Shippou's comfort in being near him, his worry for the miko, and now his 'reason' for being with the group and the other Lords not nagging him about mating. _'Sesshoumaru-sama has found his mate.' _She mused. Lying out near the fire, the youngest Miko fell into the darkness to sleep and replenish her strength, preparing for the difficult events she knew would be on them very soon.

~~*~~

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open and he growled into the night. Lifting the quickly rousing kit into his arms, he stood and surveyed the area, sniffing the air, a deadly growl rumbling in his chest. Shippou jumped to his shoulder, glaring around as he used his young senses, completely in alert. The entire group was on their feet, alert, thanks to the Taiyoukai's warning. Inuyasha had followed his half brother no long after Sesshoumaru had stood. 

"What is it?" Sango asked as she looked around, hand on hiraikotsu. 

"Something's watching us." Inuyasha growled in response. 

"Yes, but from where?" Miroku added. 

Aki closed her eyes and stretched out her senses. "Whoever it is, he's powerful…" she replied. She opened her eyes again with a gasp as the area slowly clouded with a thin layer of miasma. Miroku moved closer to the women for their protection when an evil chuckle reverberated through their camp. 

_"Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western lands…I would think that if something so precious to you as the human child should be taken, that you would not stop for even rest until she was returned. And yet, here you are, camping with these humans."_ The male voice jeered. 

"Who the fuck are you?!" Inuyasha yelled into the night.

A smirk laced the voice as he continued. _"How you would love to know that bit of information."_ He taunted. _"So sorry, but it's as human's say; for me to know, and you to die trying to find out."_

"Asshole! You took Kagome, DIDN'T YOU?!"

_"Such language in front of a child. Really Inuyasha, you should be punished for such act." _

"Under normal circumstances he would be, but you just happened to have taken the one that does that." Sesshoumaru's cold voice replied. 

_"So you finally decide to speak to me, hm?"_

The Taiyoukai was becoming greatly annoyed as the moments passed, his anger slowly rising to a deadly height. "Say what you came to say and leave." He ordered. 

__

"Your anger really does get the better of you if she_ is not here, doesn't it?" _the smooth, evil-laced voice was also laced with amusement. Sesshoumaru's only response was to growl low and threateningly, startling the humans near him. _"Fine, fine, no need to get testy. I suggest you get moving quickly. I will not be able to protect them from these hungry youkai for much more than three days."_ he smirked_, "Not to mention great challenges await you on your way to the summit. Good luck, _**My Lord**_."_ He said with a mocking tone. The miasma disappeared as if it had never been there, and the youkai's presence went with it. 

"Bastard!" Inuyasha yelled. 

"Silence! You have already had enough influence on the kit." Sesshoumaru said, completely indifferent. His cold mask covered his face, but as Shippou looked into his dangerous golden eyes, he saw a fire burning, fueled by his rage. _'You will pay.'_ He vowed again, for what had to be the millionth since his mate was taken from him. "The sun will rise soon. Gather your things. We are leaving." 

~~*~~

Kagome slowly woke to a throbbing pain in her head. Recalling what had previously happened, she sat bolt up before wishing she hadn't. The Miko fell back against the soft furs of the futon, grasping her throbbing head. She groaned. "Shippou…Rin…Ugh…What the hell happened?"

"Simple," a smooth, evil, and clearly male voice spoke from the shadows. Kagome struggled to see past the spots dancing around her vision. "I had you knocked out and brought back here."

"Who…?" she questioned. _'Knocked out…well, that would certainly explain the splitting headache….' _ "Ow…hurts to think…" she grumbled. The voice chuckled. 

"Please forgive my minions for their rough handling of you. They should be more careful with a woman in your…condition…" he said as she slowly sat up. Kagome's eyes widened when what he said registered.

"C-condition?!" 

"My dear Kagome, has the hit to the head caused you to forget of your pregnancy?" he drawled, voice laced with sadistic amusement. 

Her first reaction was to flush with embarrassment, but it quickly left, and she glared at the silhouette in the shadows. "How did you know?!" 

"My dear, it is not hard for a pure blooded youkai to sense such things." He replied. 

"Show yourself!" Kagome demanded. 

"As you wish." The figure bowed before stepping into the light provided by a small fire at the edge of the room. The man looked as tall as Sesshoumaru. His long hair was pitch black, and his clothing was much the same as Sesshoumaru's- a haroi and hakama. A black sash with dark navy blue wrapped around his waist. His skin was pale, but still held some color. And his eyes. Kagome shivered as she looked into those eyes. Pools of deep crimson, filled with enjoyment of pain caused to others…of seeing other creatures bleed to death. Kagome could feel that the creature before her was pure evil. And she knew that what he had planned, could never be a good thing. She gasped as his lips pulled up into a sadistic sneer. 

"W-what do you want?" she asked. 

"Hm…there are many things I want, Milady…but you will not find out what any of them are for a long while yet…" he replied. "Get your rest. Your beloved mate seeks you as we speak. He is coming, along with the others." He looked thoughtful for a moment, or at least as thoughtful as an evil creature can look. "And a very appetizing young thing comes with them. A beautiful young Miko, with strong powers that are still growing…" he turned his eyes to her, an evil glint in them. "I will keep an eye on her, she shall prove to be of some amusement." With a sadistic smile, he turned to exit the room.

Kagome sat on the futon in complete shock. Aki was coming to help her, also? But why would she do such a thing if it meant she could lose her life? As she though, something hit her like a two-ton brick. If they had been knocked out and taken, then…where were Rin and Shippou?

~~*~~

"Watch out, Inuyasha!" Shippou yelled into the battlefield. Upon the group's arrival to the nearest clearing, they were attacked by an awaiting youkai. And a smart youkai at that. Shippou, like the good little boy he was, remained out of harms way on the sidelines with their new Miko friend. Aki stood with Shippou behind her, and arrow pulled and ready for an opening of any kind. She had been ordered by the Taiyoukai to stay back and protect the kit, so she had hastily agreed. Miroku also stayed back, as he was of no help with only his staff and kazaana. Sango tried her best to help by using Hiraikotsu, but was yelled at by Inuyasha after the giant boomerang nearly took his head off. 

Inuyasha let out a pained cry as he was flung into a tree on the opposite end of the clearing, which had been pretty far from the battle. "I told you to watch out!" Shippou yelled at him in his 'You're so stupid, Inuyasha!' voice. 

"Shut up!" 

Sesshoumaru almost rolled his eyes at his brother's stupidity, but the oni had then decided now was when he would go after the Lord. "Pathetic." The Taiyoukai lashed out at the oni with his whip, slicing through its scaly hide. The youkai cried in pain as its right arm was severed and a great deal of damage was done to it. The Inu Youkai wasted no time in finishing off the lizard with his poisoned claws. By the time Inuyasha made it back to the battle, the oni was dead and quickly decomposing with the help of the poison. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly when he saw something glowing through the hide. "Kakera?" he wondered.

The group looked up at him. "What?" Inuyasha asked. "I don't see anything!" The Taiyoukai then walked over to the corpse and ripped something out of it. 

Holding it up between his forefinger and thumb, he examined it. 

"A shard!" Sango gasped. 

"So that is why it was tougher to beat…wait a minute…that doesn't look like a normal sized shard." 

Sesshoumaru nodded. "It must be at least a dozen shards melted together."

"But how did that stupid lizard get it?" Inuyasha asked. 

"That youkai that talked to us this morning probably gave it to him. Remember what he said? There are challenges that await us." Shippou provided, returning to his perch on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. The Taiyoukai nodded his agreement. Stowing the Kakera away, he turned to continue on his route. 

"Let us continue on. I am sure the next one will be even harder than the first." He said.

"And so on and so forth." The young Miko/leader added. "This man. I think he has a great deal of shards in his possession, at least half of them." She continued.

"Then that makes out job a hell of a lot harder." Inuyasha spoke. 

"Get moving unless you want to be left behind!" Sesshoumaru growled. 

~~*~~

An evil little laugh echoed through Kagome's mind as she realized something. The baka had left her in a room, all alone… without any restraints. She had at least expected to be chained to a wall or something! Flinging the furs off of her as she made to get out of the futon, Kagome cursed as she scowled down at the sight before her. A shackle was around her right ankle, and a chain was attached to that. Her sapphire eyes trailed the chain down to the wall next to the fire. It looked as though it came from the wall. "Damnit!" she muttered under her breath.

So, the bastard wasn't completely stupid after all….she made a face. _'Lucky me…' _she thought sarcastically. "Well, at least it looks like I have enough free reign to move about the room." She sighed. Not like there was much in it….or anything, come to think of it… She sat on a small futon that lay on the floor. On her right was the fire, a little hole in the roof of the room to let the smoke escape and some air and light in. By the little light coming from it, she guessed it was morning, just after dawn. She brightened slightly. _'That means Sesshoumaru and the others should be here soon!' _A glum though then entered her mind. _'**If** they make it, that is…' _she shook her head vigorously. _'No! They will make it! I just know they will! Sesshoumaru will come for us, and then rip that bastard to shreds!' _she thought gleefully about the last bit. Images of the carnage floated through her mind as the though progressed, and she smiled in amoral mirth. 

Her eyes widened as her rational mind processed her thoughts. _'Since when I have had such a…a….youkai's mind? Such a… blood lust?'_ she wondered in shock. Her thought were exactly what Sesshoumaru would be amused by, and she had found them quite entertaining herself….but why? She was a human! True she had seen more than her share of carnage, but she had never once enjoyed it. _'What's happening to me?' _ She wondered, staring blankly at the foot of the futon. 

The Miko was snapped from these thought as she felt _his_ presence enter the room again. "Enjoying yourself?" his question rang through the room, that cold voice sending unpleasant shivers down her spine. She glared up at the youkai. 

"What do you think?!" she asked in a rudely sarcastic voice. He tsked. 

"Now, now, Kagome. No need to be so rude." He replied with a smirk. "I've brought you breakfast. I would have sent one of the others in with it, but I don't trust them enough."

"Why's that?" Kagome asked, her voice cold.

"Because they'd love to kill you. But I cannot let that happen." He replied. He walked over to her and set the tray down in front of her. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned. I just told you I don't want you dead." He replied to her look of disdain and suspicion as she examined the food without touching it.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kagome looked up at her captor. "I have some questions." She stated.

"Go ahead. I'm listening." 

"Where are Rin and Shippou?" 

"Ah, yes. The small kit remained with your dear mate and friends. It seems he has grown fond of the Taiyoukai in your absence." He replied with a smirk. 

"And Rin?" Kagome almost growled. 

"The ningen child is here, like you…how else would I be able to get the icy Inu Youkai to come?" he asked, giving her a look that she decided she definitely didn't like. 

"Do you even know who my mate is?" 

"Hmm…possibly…" he replied with a wicked smile. "I have a hunch." 

"Last question." Kagome stated. Not once had her icy blue orbs torn away from his atrocious crimson gaze. "Who the hell are you?"

His smirk widened just slightly. "You may, if you must use a name, call me Master." His eyes danced in delight as he saw the anger flame up within her blue orbs.

"Fuck you!" she yelled.

His smirk widened still to an amoral grin. "I do not believe either you or your mate would enjoy that." He replied. "Besides," he added, turning on his heals as he left the room, "I would never wish to do such a thing to _you._" Disappearing through the door, she heard him speak to someone outside. "Do not listen to a word she says, and do _not_ go in there if you value your lives in the slightest bit." His hiss was muffled somewhat by the door, but she heard him well enough. 

Kagome seethed as she heard the bastard's footsteps retreating down the hall. It was quite a while before the sound dimmed to a low sound, but Kagome didn't notice. Who the hell did that bastard think he was?! He was toying with her and greatly enjoying every emotion he got out of her, and she knew it. It was as clear as day. Grumbling about bastard youkai, Kagome began eating the food he had brought her before flinging the tray at the door and lying down again. Her eyes closed as she attempted to sleep, but sleep would not come. Instead, she was too immersed in concentrating on the happenings in this place, wherever she was.

As she lay on the futon, she barely noticed how much she could tell. She could smell the disgusting smell of the guards and other youkai trudging about the place. She suddenly sneezed, and coughed. She could also clearly get a good whiff of the dirt around the place. A mountain. Yes, she must be in some sort of cave. She remembered that they had been in the northern lands when she was taken, so that must mean that she was somewhere in the cliffs that had not been too far from them as they were traveling. Kagome expanded her miko senses just a little further and gasped. Quickly bringing it back in, she coughed and desperately gulped down air. _'It was…almost as if I was being choked…The miasma around here…it's incredibly strong. Oh, kami. Sesshoumaru…Shippou! Guys. Please get through this and come to us.' _

Miasma stronger than Naraku's was not a good sign in Kagome's book. And she prayed to every god there was that Inuyasha and the others would be all right. _'Now I'm so glad Sesshoumaru is with them. He's strong, he can get through this…I hope.' _

~~*~~

The dark youkai watched from his cliffs as he continued to observe the group. "So you have gotten past Tokage, have you? He was just the beginning, and the weaker of my minions. Ryuuza will not be so easy…" his eyes drifted to the hanyou. "Inuyasha, you have certainly been too big of an influence on our little Kagome now, haven't you? Such language she uses." He smirked. "I'm just glad there were no children around." He said mockingly, knowing how both the Inu Taiyoukai and the Miko felt about language around children.

"It shall be interesting to watch as you continue. I would most certainly like to see you get through Ryuuza. He is quite powerful…" He laughed to himself. "How silly of me. I had forgotten. Ryuuza is not your next opponent. No, he will come later…much later…"

~~*~~

A frown creased his brow as the Great Taiyoukai of the West stood across yet another clearing from yet another obstacle. It had barely been ten minutes since they had fought that first foolish oni, and now, here stood another!!

"What the hell is up with this?!" Inuyasha growled in anger from Sesshoumaru's left side. His ice-like golden eyes glanced sideways to glare at the hanyou before flickering back to the annoying oni. This one was female. _'An arrogant female.' _He thought, eyes narrowing. He could tell by her posture. She stood straight, tall, her arms crossed over her chest. 

_'Very _nice_ chest…'_ Miroku thought, hentai grin slowly making its way to his lips. Sango noticed the grin out of the corner of her eye and glared at the houshi.

"Houshi-sama…" she hissed under her breath threateningly. Miroku immediately wiped the grin from his face.

The oni stood observing her opponents and her smirk widened slightly when she noticed the two ningens', one hissing at the other dangerously. _'Ha! Imagine, a male being hissed at by a _human _female.' _ She watched them for a moment longer in amusement before moving her gaze back to the Taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru stared her down, gaze hardening as her dark amber eyes moved back to his. From the looks of her, her long brown hair with light highlights as well as white streaks- pulled up into a ponytail, her amber brown eyes, her tanned skin and sharp features, she was a Tori Youkai. Or more specifically, a Hawk. And she was dressed for battle- a pair of black shorts and a blue haori tied with a plain, matching sash.

"I assume I do not have to tell you what I am…" she said, speaking directly to Sesshoumaru. 

"Indeed." Sesshoumaru replied in his usual tone. "It should be obvious. You are a Hawk." 

"Glad to know the Taiyoukai of the West is as smart as he looks." 

"Isn't there suppose to be a battle going on now?" Inuyasha asked, rudely interrupting the 'conversation'.

"Hold your hakama on, mutt!" The Hawk snapped, glaring at him. She turned her gaze back to Sesshoumaru. "Pups these days have no respect, ne, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. 

Sesshoumaru replied with merely a curt nod. "Since you so obviously know who we are, just who might you be?" 

"My name is Taka." She replied. "And if you just wait for a moment," she continued, glaring at Inuyasha, "then I will tell you what I have been asked too, and we may then fight. Sound alright to you, Inuyasha?" 

"Feh!"

Taka quirked an eyebrow. "Good. Now then, from here on out it has been decided that these fights will be one on one, kind of like a sparing match." 

"What?! Who the hell decided that?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Do you have a problem with this? Does little Inuyasha not feel safe fighting alone?" Taka taunted. 

"Shut up!"

Taka smirked as Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed in annoyance and the rest of the group rolled their eyes at the hanyou's behavior. "As for who decided that…let's just say the Master did."

"The Master? Who is that?" Sango asked. 

Taka smirked. "You will meet him…eventually…" 

"Eventually?! What the hell do you mean by that?!" (AN- Inu likes to use colorful language a lot, ne? ^^;)

"Enough chit-chat!" Taka cried. Smirking, she signaled to Inuyasha. "You wanted to fight? Then get your ass out here, mutt!" 

Inuyasha growled deep in his chest. Drawing Tetsusaiga, he lunged out into the clearing, toward Taka. She smirked as she watched him charge into battle. Unfolding her arms, the wind began to sway the branches of trees with enough force to make them creak. Gusts of wind sprouted up around her and deflected Inuyasha's attack with the Tetsusaiga. Quickly lashing out after blocking, the gust knocked the hanyou back a few feet. 

Inuyasha skidded on the ground, feet leaving dirt trails ahead of him. Inuyasha glared at her with hard gold eyes. "You little bitch!!" He yelled as he charged again. 

Taka smirked as she dashed forward. "Are you really that stupid, Inuyasha?! I'm not an Inu!!" Dodging his swing, she nailed him in the gut with a punch launched by the wind. Inuyasha was sent rolling back on the ground, Tetsusaiga flying away from him. Taka straightened and smirked. "And therefore, I am not a bitch." 

Inuyasha growled and pushed himself up, glaring at the offending earth. "Where the hell is Tetsusaiga?!" He was about to look around for the sword when he suddenly felt the breeze. Looking up quickly, Inuyasha jumped into the air. Gazing down, his eyes widened slightly when he saw that where he had previously been, now resided a hole the size of an 'Inuyasha crater' after one of Kagome's tantrums of Osuwaris'. "Kuso!" 

~~*~~

Sesshoumaru watched stoically as Inuyasha was continually thrown about. He watched silently as the Tetsusaiga went flying from his hanyou brother's hand and skidded to a stop at his feet, once again the rusty katana. _'It would be so easy to take the Tetsusaiga now and leave.'_ A part of him said. He scowled at that part. _'One does not abandon his mate! I could care less about that damned sword.'_ Dismissing the sword's presence, he watched as the hawk attacked Inuyasha again, while he was distracted, and resulted in sending him leaping into the air, and away from his place. The ground was destroyed as Taka made impact, dirt exploding into a cloud of dust that quickly cleared away. 

He brought his attention back up to his half brother as Inuyasha began to descend to the ground. 

~~*~~

Taka smirked. "There is your biggest mistake, whelp!" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as she laughed with her statement. 

Realization quickly hit the hanyou and his eyes widened. _'Oh, shit!'_ The next thing anyone knew, Inuyasha was hanging, suspended in air. His arms were pendent above his head, as if tied to two different tree branches, and he could barely move. "Kuso!" Taka smirked as she attacked him with her extended talons. They sliced through his haori, cutting deeply into his chest. "Ah!" Inuyasha cried out in pain as the talons ripped through the skin and clothing on his back. 

Taka took a step back, examining her handiwork. Lifting a bloodied hand to her face, he slowly licked the hanyou's blood from her fingers. "You were way too easy, hanyou." She said. Her smirk lifted to a malicious grin. "But it was fun, all the same!" 

Inuyasha glared, growling deeply in his chest. "You haven't won yet!" he snarled.

"Ha! Do you really believe you can still beat me?! How will you even brake free from my wind's grasp?!" she taunted, laughing. 

Inuyasha sent his half brother a pointed look, which went unnoticed by the hawk as she gloated and taunted the hanyou. He had seen earlier where exactly Tetsusaiga had landed, and was slightly startled that his brother had not taken the sword. 

~~*~~

"No! Inuyasha is going to lose!! We have to help him!" Sango said as she watched her friend attacked, this time with the hawk's talons. 

"Iie, Sango. Remember, this is a one on one battle." Sango looked up at Miroku incredulously. 

"But, Houshi-sama!"

"Iie." Sesshoumaru interrupted her. Sango looked up and him as he continued to watch the battle. Sighing, she nodded. The Taiyoukai did not fail to notice the look he received. Understanding Inuyasha's meaning, he looked down at the katana. Kneeling on one knee, Sesshoumaru reached out and grasped the sword's hilt. He was slightly surprised when it did not shock him, but instead, began to pulse. Standing again, the Taiyoukai flung the katana. The group watched, most shocked that he was able to touch the Tetsusaiga, as it spiraled toward Inuyasha. 

~~*~~

Inuyasha watched the blade fly toward him. _'Please, Tetsusaiga! Help me!! Destroy whatever is binding me!' _he asked the katana mentally. Tetsusaiga pulsed as it drew nearer. Taka turned in time to see the sword flying in their direction, and with wide eyes, moved as quickly as she could away from her prey.

The katana pierced invisible chords, setting the hanyou free. Inuyasha fell to the ground, landing on his knees wincing momentarily as his chest stung. He clenched his teeth as he gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga and it immediately transformed into the fang. 

__

'Kuso! This wasn't suppose to happen!!! Damn, now he's really pissed…' Taka thought. She paled slightly. _'Now I'm really in for it!'_

Inuyasha smirked at the fear he saw in her face. "Heh, this will be fun…" he chuckled evilly. His eyes darkened as he lifted the fang. "You won't stop me…" he took a running leap as he spoke. "…From saving Kagome!!!" he yelled. Inuyasha brought the fang down with great force as he yelled, "Kaze no Kizu!!!" 

The Hawk screamed as the Kaze no Kizu was released, and everything in its path wiped away, her scream swallowed by its howl of destruction.

Inuyasha stood with the fang's tip resting on the ground, panting as he continued to glare at the path his attack left in its wake. He jerked slightly in surprise when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking up, his slowly lightening eyes meet Sesshoumaru's cool golden gaze. "You still have not learned." Sesshoumaru said casually. He allowed the ghost of a smile grace his lips for barely a second, surprising Inuyasha. 

The hanyou brushed the hand off. "Keh." Turning away from his brother and friends, he started to walk away. Inuyasha paused for a moment and turned slightly. "Sesshoumaru!" 

The Taiyoukai watched him quietly, not a thing changing in his stoic mask. 

"…Thanks…For understanding…and for helping me." He gave his half brother a small smile before turning away again, sheathing Tetsusaiga, and continuing on his way. 

"I did no such thing." Sesshoumaru insisted as he, too, walked onward, Shippou once again turning up on his shoulder like a bad penny. (AN- Ever hear that expression? lol ^__^)

Aki followed the Taiyoukai without a word, although several questions flew through her mind. She decided she'd inquire about them at a better time.

Sango and Miroku looked to each other, blinking in confusion. Shrugging it off, the two quickly followed the Inu brothers and young Miko, Kirara ahead of them by a few paces.

~~*~~

The Master frowned. "Shimatta! The hanyou should have been killed!!" A smirk rose to his lips as he surveyed the damage done by the great sword Tetsusaiga. "Good thing Inuyasha had been facing east, otherwise he would have obliterated this entire mountain…along with our precious Kagome…" he chuckled at the thought of what their reactions would have been had that happened. "Perhaps I should attain that sword…It would provide very useful…" smiling cruelly, he turned and walked back toward the cave's entrance. 

"Two minions down, eight to go…" his smirk widened, "And the next one up, is none other than Karasuhebi…one of my stronger minions…" throwing a smirk and evil glare over his shoulder at the group, the Master disappeared into the cave.

~~*~~

"Hey, wait, didn't that 'Taka' have some jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked suddenly as the group continued on. His wounds had pretty much healed up. All that remained were scratches and dried blood.

"I don't know, Inuyasha. Did she?" Shippou replied as he walked next to the Taiyoukai. The kit sent a look over his shoulder at the hanyou. "You are the one that blew her away."

"Literally…" Miroku provided.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha grumbled. 

"If she did have any, my guess would be that the shards were destroyed in the blast." Sango said.

The group continued on their way quietly, Sesshoumaru too lost in thought to be paying attention to their jabbering. _'We have three days before he can no longer protect them…and yet he sets up this little 'contest'…'_ the thoughts ran through the Taiyoukai's mind, pulling them selves together quite rapidly. He suddenly changed his direction slightly, heading just off course to the miasma-enclosed hills.

"Oi! Where are you going?!" Inuyasha asked. Just what the hell was that bastard doing?!

"We're getting water. I can't stand the smell of your blood any longer, whelp." 

"But what about Kagome?! We have to get her back! And that little kid!" 

"We have plenty of time." Sesshoumaru replied. 

"What do you mean? It's almost noon already!"

"And so we need to stop to rest and eat." 

"What the hell is up with you?!" Inuyasha asked, staring up his half brother skeptically. "We need to get Kagome and Rin!" 

"He was bluffing." The Taiyoukai stated simply.

"What?" _'Where'd that come from?'_

"The Master was bluffing." Sesshoumaru repeated.

"Who?" 

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow barely twitched as he restrained the urge to whack the hanyou upside the head. A low growl rumbled in his chest instead.

"He's talking about the youkai that spoke to us this morning." Aki's soft response rang through the air, almost startling most of the group. They stopped and all eyes fell on her…well, okay, so the Taiyoukai in their presence merely glanced over his shoulder before surveying the area.

"That voice that woke everyone up?" Miroku inquired. The miko/leader nodded. 

"Hai." She began walking again, following the Taiyoukai as he continued toward water. _'That voice belongs to a very evil creature, I can tell…'_ she thought. 

~~*~~

Inuyasha groaned as they came to the lake. "Not again…" he glared at the oni before the group, looking especially bored as he sat on the ground. He paid no heed to the hanyou, nor the others, as he continued to pick up and drop the object that had his attention. 

He picked the object up again and began to twirl it around in his tan fingers thoughtfully, still not paying any attention. His black hair was cropped short and he appeared to be barely older than seventeen…not to mention extremely bored. His cheek rested in the palm of his left hand as he watched the object, slumped over a bit. He wore a black hakama with a green, short sleeved haori. "I get the Taijia." He said shortly, still not looking away from the object in his hand. 

"What?" Inuyasha snarled.

"You heard me." The youkai replied. His voice even sounded seventeen- young and smooth. "This belonged to Taka." He mused as he stood, still twirling the object. "Much good it did her." He grasped it in his fist as he spoke. He suddenly threw it at the Taiyoukai as he finally looked up at them. "You can have it." 

Sesshoumaru caught the object without so much as a glance before lowering his fist. He dropped the object, giving it to the kitsune. "A piece of the Shikon no Tama!" Shippou gasped as he held the object. 

"A dozen, to be precise." The youkai replied. His eyes were a golden green color, and the pupils were vertical slits, much like a snake. "I'm Karasuhebi." He smirked at the group as he spoke and surveyed them at the same time. "And my opponent is the exterminator." He continued, eyes settling on Sango. 

~~*~~

"Oh, good, so it's my turn now, is it?" Sango said sarcastically. She wasn't particularly happy about that. She didn't really want to fight yet, but at least it was better while they were weaker, she supposed. 

"Don't worry, I won't use my shards. To tell you the truth, I really don't like the Master much." He shrugged, Sango all the while stepping forward, her hand on hiraikotsu, "But what can I say? You don't disobey him." Karasuhebi pulled out another Kakera from within his clothing, and tossed it to the Taiyoukai, proving that he was not lying. He smiled. "Shall we?" 

With Sango's curt nod, Karasuhebi disappeared from sight. Well trained, Sango stood completely still, glaring around the area. She suddenly dodged to the right and threw Hiraikotsu. Karasuhebi landed where she had previously been, a smirk gracing his features, before quickly and easily jumping out of the giant boomerang's path. "You're pretty good." He complimented as Sango caught her weapon. 

"Gee, thanks." She replied sarcastically. Again she tossed Hiraikotsu, carefully watching her opponent's movements. When the weapon returned to her hand again, she glared at the oni. 

He chuckled. "Have a problem with your little boomerang, do you?" he asked in a taunting voice. 

"Perhaps." Again, the Taijia tossed the boomerang. Again, as with the other attempts by Hiraikotsu, Karasuhebi dodged her attack. The teenage oni was stunned as something forcefully struck him and he was sent flying. 

Wincing more to the fact that he had been tricked than the prospect that he had been hit by a ningen, Karasuhebi smirked. "Apparently, you pack quite a punch." He patted his side momentarily. "Hai, just a little momentum drawback from my position in the air during the hit… would have been ineffective had I been on land…" he muttered to himself. "Well," he drew his attention back to the Taijia, "I guess it was just a lucky shot." He smirked again as he charged Sango, deadly talons posed for attack. 

Sango saw the attack and dodged as well as she could. She winced as she felt his claws slice through the skin of her side. Quickly, counting on turning his momentum against him, she turned and flung Hiraikotsu with as much force as she could muster. It proved to have worked. As Karasuhebi noted the attack, he turned to dodge it at the precise moment it collided into him. He was then thrown meters away from where he had been, skidding along the ground. He was lucky enough to the fact that he hadn't been split in two, but on the off hand, he was pretty injured. 

Pulling himself up, the teenage oni winced as he clutched his left side. "Shimatta!" he hissed as he surveyed the damage. That damned boomerang was more dangerous than he had first thought. Blood soaked the bottom half of his haori, which was torn, and started to stain his hakama as well. Karasuhebi pulled himself up onto his legs and slowly walked back toward the Taijia. "Heh," he began, "I commend you, Sango." He watched her as she stood before him, clutching her right side and hiraikotsu. Though she was in obvious pain, her face showed nothing aside from anger and devotion. His eyes softened as he looked first to her, then at the rest of her group, coming to a stop on the Taiyoukai. 

Returning his gaze back to the Taijia, he spoke again. "I have a request." He chuckled dryly at the reaction from the group, minus the Taiyoukai of course. 

"What kind of request could an enemy have for us?" Miroku inquired.

"Your mate." Sesshoumaru stated as he watched the young youkai. He nodded.

"Hai. The only reason I'm here is because that bastard has taken my mate as his prisoner. Please, I'm begging you to get her out!" 

Sesshoumaru eyed the young youkai as he took in his scent. He could easily distinguish a female's scent mixed with his own, but hers was different, just slightly abnormal…much like his own mate's scent. "She is with child, am I right?" Again, the teenage oni nodded. Relief washed over his features at the Taiyoukai's short nod. 

He closed his eyes as he whispered his thanks. Without warning, he attacked the Taijia again, bloodied claws outstretched. Reacting quickly, Sango let her weapon fly, nailing the young youkai on his right side and sending him flying back once again. This time, he did not pull himself back up. 

Sesshoumaru watched as Karasuhebi lay, unmoving, meters away from them. _'He was going easy. Never once had he intended on using his full strength, which is also why he gave us the shards.' _ He thought. His acute hearing picked up the faint sound of a heartbeat, and he slowly made his way over. Curious, Sesshoumaru knelt and brushed back the young youkai's bangs. His eyes visibly widened at the sight held before him. "Shimatta." He hissed. 

"What is it?" Inuyasha inquired in a non-too-happy tone. The rest of the group joined Sesshoumaru, looking down at Karasuhebi. "Kuso!" Inuyasha hissed. 

The others looked at the mark in shock. "He was…" Miroku began in a hushed tone. 

Scooping his body up, Sesshoumaru left the clearing, heading to a secluded place by the water, knowing that this 'Master' would certainly have been observing the battle. Like a wolf's pack, the rest of the group followed. 

~~*~~

The Master frowned. "That was disappointing." He muttered. "You were a fool, Karasuhebi, to ever underestimate that human." He sighed. "Oh well. Three down, seven to go." It was disturbing, really, the way he acted; as if this entire thing meant nothing to him; as if… it were only a game. 

~~*~~

LK: ::snicker:: This is so hilariously cruel, I think I'm actually gunna do it!

Lara: ::mutters:: Bitch.

LK: ::smile:: Why thank you, but I'm not a female Inu youkai…though that would be a hell of a lotta fun! ::grin:: Erk, anyway….gomen for taking so long. I was having a bit of trouble with that fight between Karasuhebi and Sango…::smirk::

Lara: You always have to do that, don't you? You just *have* to be mean! 

LK: Yup. Leave ya in suspense…It's what I like to do. Besides, I thought the last line was a good place to stop, and I liked it, so I stopped! ::sticks tongue out at yami:: Live with it! Oh, as you could have guessed already, I have absolutely no idea when I'll be able to update again. It's getting to that time of year again, where we all have to go back to school- and I'm not talking to you adult peeps! XP

Lara: ::sigh:: Hikari, you have *three weeks*!!

LK: …..so? I have junk to do during then….

Lara: ::glare:: Fine. But don't blame me when everyone threatens to kill you!

LK: You wouldn't do that, now would you?! ::gives reviewers puppy dog eyes:: Anyway, if you did, I'd probably _not_ feel like writing the next chapter at all! Erm…I'm starting to babble, aren't I?

Sesshoumaru: Yes. -.-

LK: Eheheh…gomen? Hey, it's 2:17, gimme a break!

Lara: ::starts singing Kit-Kat song::

LK: ::facevault::

Sesshoumaru: …bakayaro….::walks away::

LK: er…yeah…please R+R, and I hope you all will forgive me, be patient and I hope you enjoyed!! ^^ 

~~*~~

Japanese translations:

Oni- demon

LK: Eh….think that was it…Ja matta ne, minna!! 

~*~

Words: 6, 972

Pages: 13

Written: August 4, 2003

Finished: 2:21 AM

~*~


	5. Chapter 5

Isshi no Ichimu By Lady Kaiba  
  
Disclaimer: Ya want a disclaimer?! Go look at the second chapter! I've already said that I dun own Inuyasha!  
  
LK: Chapter 5! Geez, we're only there? This is a long fic....Oo; Okay on a little side note, I find Sesshy having a tail a little strange, even though I go along with it in one or more of my other fics. So, let's just say that for this fic, it's not his tail, k? Enjoy, and don't forget to review! They really help me in times like these where I don't even start the next chapter until about two weeks after updating. Ja ne  
  
--  
  
Stopping at the edge of the lake, Sesshoumaru set Karasuhebi down as gently as possible. Retrieving Kagome's pack, he searched through it for the supplies that would be needed. "Aki, remove his haori." He commanded as he searched the yellow bag. Aki nodded and knelt next to the injured youkai, doing as she was ordered. She winced when she saw just how much blood there was. Sesshoumaru knelt at the water's edge and dipped a cloth into it. "Clean his left side." Heeding his command again, Aki used Karasuhebi's haori to gently wipe blood away.  
  
Inuyasha covered his nose while wincing slightly as the wounds were revealed to the group. "Kuso. Sango, that boomerang of yours does a hell of a lot of damage!" Looking upon the young youkai now, and knowing what she now knew, Sango felt pity for him and remorse for having caused his wounds.  
  
"Your regret will do him no good." The Taiyoukai spoke, surprising the Taijia. "You helped him. The Master will believe he is dead. He's been set free."  
  
"But what about his mate? What will happen to her now?" Sango inquired.  
  
"Perhaps he will not kill her." Miroku provided hopefully. Sango nodded dully.  
  
His work finished, the Taiyoukai washed his hands in the water. His anger flared at both himself and The Master. '_How could I have been so stupid? I didn't even recognize him..._' he berated himself for his stupidity. "Aki, tend to her wounds." He said, nodding his head toward Sango. Silently, Sango and Aki disappeared into the cover of the trees.  
  
"Why are all of you so unhappy and angry?" Shippou innocently inquired. Because he was just a pup, he did not know what that marking (which had been so notably concealed) meant. The Lord of the Western Lands let out a small sigh as he sat with his back against a near tree.  
  
"Shippou, do you see that marking on Karasuhebi's forehead?" he questioned. The kit nodded as he climbed into his new adoptive father's lap. "That sapphire teardrop is the symbol of the Southern Lord." The kit's olive green eyes widened.  
  
"So then..."  
  
"Karasuhebi is the son of my oldest friend, Lord Shizuku." His eyes darkened to an amber color as he looked toward the water. "And I did not realize it soon enough." He muttered below his breath, so only Shippou could hear- though even that was unintentional.  
  
Shippou observed the Taiyoukai. Feeling sympathy for the lord, Shippou curled into him, hugging the inu youkai as well as he could.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked down at the kit, startled again at the affection he was showing. His eyes softened quickly, though, as he placed a hand on his back. The Taiyoukai stood and walked over to stand near the young youkai as he began to regain consciousness.  
  
--  
  
Karasuhebi moaned in slightly dulled pain as he floated to the conscious realm. '_Shouldn't I be dead?_' he wondered idly. His golden-green eyes opened slowly to a blurred world. Blinking multiple times, the stoic face of Sesshoumaru appeared from the blurred white, gold, crimson, and blue he had seen previously, along with the green of the treetops.  
  
"Why did you disguise yourself?" Sesshoumaru questioned. Karasuhebi slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked up at the Youkai Lord as he crouched.  
  
"For our protection." He answered. The Taiyoukai didn't look pleased with the answer.  
  
"Explain." Karasuhebi sighed.  
  
"Whenever Karia and I leave the southern lands, I always cast a spell to disguise us."  
  
"And why would you do that?" Miroku questioned. His attention flickered to the bushes as the two women returned.  
  
"Karia doesn't like to be treated as if she's higher than others. It isn't the way she grew up, so once she asked me if I would disguise us and hide our markings. I did as she asked because I love her. This last time, it proved very useful."  
  
"How?" Sango asked. Karasuhebi turned his eyes to her.  
  
"Not long after we left, we were captured by powerful youkai. I think they cast some sort of paralysis spell in order to do it." He replied. "They took us to the cave on the summit, to the Master. He locked Karia in a room and has been using her to his advantage." He said quietly, looking back to the taiyoukai.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. "How long ago was this?" he asked.  
  
Karasuhebi thought back for a moment, "A month." Again, Sesshoumaru nodded.  
  
"We will bring your mate back with us." Sesshoumaru said as he stood. "You will wait here until we return." He looked at the young youkai. "Do not leave unless it is to protect yourself- and then with that do not stray too far. Do you understand?" with a nod from the young youkai, Sesshoumaru turned to the others. "It is time for us to go."  
  
--  
  
Kagome sighed. This place was definitely boring. Not only was she stuck in a room with absolutely nothing remotely interesting in it, she was a hostage of a psychotic youkai with a major death wish. She was sure she'd force her way out soon if she didn't get anyone to talk to. She knew there was another young female in this damned place (other than Rin). She could somehow sense her very well. In fact she could sense everything that was going on in the cave.  
  
The ebony haired miko glared viciously up at the door as it opened and the Master stepped into the room. "My, my. You seem royally pissed off, princess." He said in a mockingly sweet tone. Kagome resisted the urge to cringe at the pet name he added.  
  
"Nice observation." She snapped. He gazed, mildly bored, at her.  
  
"I suppose you want some company?" She smiled mockingly nicely at him.  
  
"I suppose I do." She replied. "And I know there is another female in here. Bring her here, or I swear I will force my way out of this hell hole, and kill every youkai that stands in my path!" The Master turned on his heel and walked back to the door.  
  
"Fine. You will have a 'roommate' if it will keep you entertained."  
  
"Good!" She shouted after him as the doors closed. Kagome smiled in victory. If he wanted her to behave, he'd bring her that other young woman and she'd have someone to chat with. The young Lady of the Western Lands lay back on her futon again, closing her eyes as she opened her senses to survey the cave again. Her smile widened when she sensed the bastard walking toward the woman's room.  
  
--  
  
Another clearing, another youkai. Sesshoumaru was becoming bored with this little game the Master seemed to be playing and desired nothing more than to get it over with as soon as possible. As the group stood at the edge of the clearing, they surveyed the next opponent. She was a tall woman, possibly just an inch taller than his mate, but she held herself upright in a way that reminisced aristocracy. Her long hair was golden and reached to mid-thigh. Her clothing was similar to the other opponents, though her haori was a light blue and her hakama was white. Like the others, her sash blended with her haori. This woman was an Inu-youkai, though the youkai lord didn't know where she could have possibly come from. Her eyes were a deep green and shined with psychotic mirth as she watched them- particularly the Taiyoukai.  
  
"Greetings." Her voice was silky smooth and laced with evil intent. The female inu youkai almost chuckled when she received no answer- she had expected she would not. "I am Kaien." She introduced her self with a small bow, not once looking away from the youkai lord. Again, she received no response. "Oh well, guess you can't converse with them all." She continued with a sarcastic note. "So," her eyes drifted over to Inuyasha. "Will the Hanyou try his best to beat a pure blood of his kind?"  
  
"Damn right I will!" Inuyasha yelled, glaring at the woman.  
  
"No." All eyes turned to the Taiyoukai. Inuyasha glared at him, not at all happy that he would actually not let him fight.  
  
"It's my turn." He growled. Sesshoumaru didn't spare him even a glance.  
  
"No." he repeated. "You had your ass kicked by your last opponent." He retorted. "This time it is my turn, little brother." He let a small smirk grace his lips. _And anyway, this is the perfect opportunity to vent some of my anger._ He moved away from the group, toward the middle of the clearing, his claws flexing in anticipation as his eyes narrowed dangerously at the female inu youkai. Sesshoumaru stood silently, waiting for her to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long, for within a moment's time, she disappeared from human view. _Pathetic fool._ The taiyoukai thought as he easily dodged her attack.  
  
Even before his feet touched the ground, Sesshoumaru ran at Kaien. She dodged, but not before his claws caught the material of her haori. She cursed as she felt the breeze on her skin. She knew that her haori now presented five fine slashes in the lower right side. _Damnit he's good... Just my luck, I get to fight the Western Lord._ She thought disdainfully, glaring at the offending youkai.  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't wait long before he attacked again, using his poison whip. The long weapon lashed out at Kaien and she hissed as it bit into her skin, burning through the tissue. She had dodged, but underestimated the whip's reach. The blond youkai jumped back further, desperately putting distance between herself and the youkai lord, hissing in pain from his poison. Again, she attacked him. Coming at him from the left, she slashed with her own poison filled talons. Instead of her claws hitting their mark, the Taiyoukai dodged and she ended up with a rather painful hole in her side- that was made more painful by the lord's powerful poison.  
  
Sesshoumaru stood regally as he watched the battered youkai, still flexing his claws. "Did you truly believe you would be able to defeat me?" he asked. Her only response was a growl. His golden eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch as he allowed an evil smirk to lift the corner of his lips. That had been her only warning before the Taiyoukai vanished and reappeared near her right side. Once again using his poison whip, the youkai lord spun in circles before any could realize where he had gone.  
  
"Ew..." Shippou muttered when he noticed the final blow had been dealt, and the stupid youkai woman was dead.  
  
The taiyoukai glared down at the remains of the woman. _Truly pathetic._ He thought. "Even with the shards, she was no match for a youkai lord." He retrieved her shards and stowed them away with the others as the kit joined him again, perching on his shoulder. Shippou turned his attention away from the mutilated youkai, feeling just slightly nauseous. Sesshoumaru watched the group as they just stood in place, the only one to realize that they should be moving was the young miko/leader, Aki. Though the sight sickened her, she moved slowly over to the Lord. "Enough standing around. We have somewhere to be."  
  
Grumbling, Inuyasha followed his half brother as Sango, Miroku, and Kirara followed behind him.  
  
--  
  
The Master mentally sneered as he made his way to his other hostage. _'That little wench! She knows I won't kill her, so now she's using it to her advantage.'_ He grumbled under his breath. "Damn bitch." He glared at the guarding oni, both trembling in fear. "Out of the way!" he snapped. That miko had put him in a bad mood. _'Keep your cool! Calm down. A Dark Lord should not lose his temper so easily.'_ He scolded himself. The two oni scrambled away, allowing the Master into the room beyond.  
  
The dark lord entered the room casually, controlling his temper. He smiled cruelly at the cowering female youkai. "Come, my dear, no need to be frightened." He drawled in his falsely kind voice. "A dear friend wishes to be in your company. Come on now." He held his hand out to the young woman. She eyed his hand suspiciously, and pushed herself to her feet. The Master turned on his heal, frowning once again as he headed back to the miko's room, the young woman in toe.  
  
--  
  
The door to Kagome's little room opened once again and the Master ushered the young woman in, quickly closing the door again. She stood nervously, looking around the room. Her eyes were drawn to another young woman when the miko stood. "Hi." The ebony haired miko said softly.  
  
"H-hello."  
  
Kagome observed the young woman. She was maybe an inch shorter than Kagome herself. Her brown hair was waist length and held blond streaks. Her eyes were a soft golden green, more green than gold. She wore a plain pale yellow kimono with a light lavender sash that was tied over a little bump. Kagome's eyes widened slightly when realization hit her. "You're pregnant?" she asked in a whisper.  
  
"Yes." The young youkai watched the other curiously. Her sapphire eyes met the youkai's greenish golden orbs.  
  
"Is it..." the youkai shook her head furiously with slightly wide eyes.  
  
"No! It's my mates!" she said. Kagome sighed in relief.  
  
"That's good." She said, smiling. She sat down on her futon again and gestured for the other to do so as well. "I'm Kagome!" She said with a wide, friendly smile after the young woman sat across from her.  
  
"Karia." The young youkai replied. Kagome smiled.  
  
"It's nice to meet you. How long have you been here?" She asked.  
  
"I think...a month." She replied in a soft voice.  
  
"A month! I've only been here for a day or two!" she replied in surprise. "Hey, Karia..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you think we could be friends?" Kagome asked with a small smile. Karia smiled in return.  
  
"I'd like that."  
  
--TBC--  
  
I know this chapter is a little short. ::looks at previous chapters:: Okay, very short...but, you'll have to forgive me. This is as much as I had written before My writers block really hit me, and since I didn't want to update with short chapters, I had been planning on writing more. However, considering the fact that I haven't updated in over a year, I'll make an acceptation for this chapter.  
  
I was surprised when, even after all this time, I continue to get reviews every now and then, so I decided I'd finally take a look and see if I could continue the fic. I have discovered that I hate the way it began. It's so...childish. I really want to rewrite it, but I think it's best to leave it alone. Now, don't be surprised if the writing style I use in this fic noticeably changes. I have been working on other projects and therefore, working on my skills. So, I believe any chapter I post after this will be better.  
  
Now about posting, don't expect one anytime soon. In fact, there won't be another post of a long time. Why? Because I have a ton of other new projects. My current one is Harry Potter fic ::holds up a folder labeled **Lies**:: It is a Draco Harry slash fic, so if you're interested in it, keep an eye out. I'll be posting it on a new screen name- **Kreyana**.  
  
I'm really sorry for not updating this fic- or really any fic I have- for a long time. Most of my stories I've put on hold. That is going to include this fic. I'd still really like it if everyone would review- try to encourage me to write more! It may work. Thank you all for reviewing and letting me know how much you love this fic. Make sure to check out anything new you see, it may just be worth it! And I also appologise for this long Author's Note.  
  
Leave a Review!! - Words: 2791 


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